Returning Home
by MarMarBinks
Summary: Sequel to Dear Agony.  Leo left and Raph was now void of love.  What will happen when a certain blue clad turtle comes back?  Will Raph be able to handle it?  Set during 2007 movie.  Warning: cussing, violence, and Turtlecest.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Why, hello there! This is the sequel to my songfic Dear Agony! So, go read that before you read this (if you haven't already).

**Disclaimer: **I own my extreme tiredness and hunger, not TMNT

**Warning: **This story contains Turtlecest. If you don't like, don't freakin' read. Is it that hard?

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><p>Love.<p>

We all know what that is, right? It's a feeling of personal attachment or deep affection to someone or something. A warm fuzzy feeling; butterflies in the stomach. When you trust your life with someone and would do anything for them. When their needs always come before your own. When they're always on your mind, always in your heart. It's that smile that comes to your face every time you see them or think of them. The desire of the soul.

Ring a bell? Well, he was now void of it. He had cast it out like the demon it really was. Love had made him extremely elated and, now, it had put him in extreme pain. Why would anyone want such a thing in them? It made no sense to him. Of course, ever since that one special person - well, mutant - left, nothing made sense. Why would love?

Ah, love. It seemed so wonderful at first; as if you were flying through the clouds with that one special being. But in the end, when things were really getting good, it would hit you with a sudden strike and send you hurdling to the ground. That's why it was gone, that's why he turned away from that tormenting feeling.

Raphael Hamato, teenage mutant ninja turtle and secret lover of Leo, was void of love and he didn't want it back.

Too bad that one special mutant was about to return.

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><p><strong>AN: **How was _that _for a prologue? I thought it was pretty good, but you might not 'ave sooo...

If you _did_ think it was a good prologue:

~~~~!REVIEW!~~~~

If you thought it was the worst prologue on earth:

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If you thought it was alright or if you're just plain indifferent:

~~~~!REVIEW!~~~~

Come on, people! Ya know ya wanna! :D


	2. Difficulties

**A/N: **Here we are with chapter uno (that's Spanish for one, if for some strange reason you didn't know). Not much to say except...well...uh..enjoy?

**Disclaimer: **Some strange person I don't know: "Congratulations! You've won the ownership to TMNT!"

Me: 8D :D 8D "I HAVE?"

SSPIDK: "Haha, nope, just kidding!"

Me: v.v "Why do you do such things to me?"

**Warning: **This story contains Turtlecest. It contains brother/brother and male/male love. If you don't like it, DON'T READ PAST THIS POINT! Get it? Got it? Good. Wait, why are you still reading? You were supposed to stop at the capitalized letters! Grr...

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><p>When Leo left, it had hurt. Hurt like Hell. That's when his decision to let go of love happened and that's how he was now. Loveless.<p>

The first few weeks, it had been hard to be void of the feeling. It always seemed to sneak up whenever he past Leo's room, or sat in Leo's favorite chair, or just plain saw something blue. His new role of eldest made him realize how hard it was to be the responsible one and that made him appreciate what Leo did which, of course, made the red clad turtle miss him even more. At night, when he was sure that everyone was asleep and wouldn't see him, he would curl up in Leo's bed, grip his blue blanket, and cry _very_ quiet tears. But, after weeks of striving to forget his attachment, his stubbornness won over and love was no more.

That's when the household started to fall apart.

Before Leo left, Raph's soul held much love and affection, but was often hidden away. Though, on many occasions, it had slipped through and showed his true passion. Now, there was absolutely _no _love. No passion, no affection. Nothing. There was no tenderness towards his brothers or Sensei and that really started to shred them apart. Shredder was gone so there was nothing for them to search or look out for which left them with plenty of free time. Each started their own activity - Don in TechSupport, Mikey in the party business, Splinter doing whatever the heck Splinter does in his free time in his room, and Raph in vigilante acts - and that separated them even more. The family was breaking.

Once, Raph looked at their broken family and felt guilty. Hadn't Leo left the family in his care? He had failed. He hated failing as much as he hated bugs. But then, Raph realized that he was caring about what was going on and caring was related to love, so he quickly pushed the thought away.

Being loveless left Raph plenty of room to be angry and, _oh_, was he good at expressing _that_ emotion. The hothead soon found himself fighting with Don, something thought impossible. He had always gotten along with the easy-going turtle, but now he seemed to find something wrong with him. Fights with Mikey were becoming more consistent, almost as consistent as Raph's were with Leo.

Leo.

The mere mention of his name could send Raph into a rage. His distant family noticed this and used extra caution to never say the 'L' word in his presence. It wasn't that hard considering they hardly saw each other.

At some point, Raph got tired of fighting with his family and, though he didn't cease to argue aimlessly with his relatives, found a new way to channel his dominant emotion.

Bashing thug's heads; his favorite pass time.

He pulled together a metal suit and would go out at night, ready to release some aggravation. Saving the city's people every night gave the red clad turtle some peace. It made him feel like he had done _something _right in his brother's absence.

Then Leo's training period ended. While his family's spirits raised at the thought of seeing Leo again, Raph's anxiety raised rapidly. How was he going to deal with the sight of his brother again? How was he going to keep himself loveless at the sight of someone he had been so deeply attracted to?

When the blue clad turtle didn't come back on time, the others panicked, but Raph rejoiced. Maybe he wasn't coming back. Maybe he knew how much this whole thing had affected his red banded brother and he thought it best to stay away. Leo was always worrying about other's needs way before he even thought about his.

For several nights, Mikey turned back and forth in his bed restlessly, worry across every of his features, Don lay awake, sadly thinking of all the possibilities of this event, and Master Splinter meditated, straining to the ends of his mind field as he searched for his son. While everyone's minds raced with worry, Raph's mind was soundly and happily asleep.

Then, one night Raph was in the kitchen, making a midnight snack. The lair was silent and he was enjoying the quiet when he heard some footsteps. Some _awfully _familiar footsteps. The loveless being's heart stopped, but, thankfully, started up again. Forgetting about his food, he exited the kitchen and headed towards the dojo, passing his two sleeping brothers in the living area.

Stopping just outside the door, Raph peeked around the corner and saw an dreaded sight. A sight that, Raph angrily noticed, made his stomach flutter with butterflies.

Leo was back.

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><p><strong>AN: **Oh noes, what will happen next? Guess you'll have to wait till the next chapter which you'll only get if you review! So go review, my little duckies!


	3. Brief Encounters

**A/N: **Oh my gosh, guess what chapter it is? Dos. Yeah, I've decided that throughout this story we are going to have a little lesson on numbers in Spanish. That way, when your mom/dad/guardian tells you to get off the computer, you can say, "But I'm learning!" It's a fool proof plan! XD Now, on with the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **TMNT, mine? Ha, you make me laugh!

**Warning: **This story? Yeah, it contains Turtlecest. That is boy on boy and brother on brother. Understand? Good, now if you don't like, get out. You're not welcome here.

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><p>"I was so caught up in my world, I forgot about everyone else," Leo's shame filled voice wafted through the door and into Raph's ears. Had the eavesdropper not been frozen on the spot, he would have snorted. Leave it to Leo to forget about his own family because of some stupid training. "I'm sorry I failed."<p>

"On the contrary my son, now you are much stronger," Splinter said as he lifted a medal from a wooden box and came around the table. Leo rose and Splinter raised the gold object slightly. "Your strength is needed here now." Anger crept into Raph's mind. So now he wasn't _strong_ enough to take care of this family? He was the strongest damn one in this family! Splinter handed Leo the medal. "You owe me no apology, but perhaps you should talk to Raphael. Your absence has been particularly hard on him. Though, he'll never admit it." Damn right it was hard! But it didn't matter now. The hothead was void of love and didn't need a certain blue clad turtle coming to see if he was alright.

"I'm certain things will be back to normal in no time, Master." Had Raph still not been frozen at the sight of his brother, he would have scoffed. Back to normal? Things would never be 'normal' again! Leo's departure had changed everything in a way that couldn't be reversed. At least, not in Raph's mind.

"Good, because until you can act as one, you are forbidden to fight." Yeah right. That wasn't happening. True, he wouldn't be fighting alongside his brothers anytime soon, but no one knew about his nightly adventures to kick some low life ass.

"Yes, Sensei." Again, he would have scoffed. Same ol' Leo, always agreein' to anything Sensei said without even a trace of his own mind in him. He hadn't changed a bit.

The two embraced, saying they had missed each other. Breaking apart, Splinter turned his head towards the door. "Raphael," the turtle in question noticed that the rat didn't seem the least bit surprised to see him. _Damn it! How does he always do that?_ "Your brother is home." Yeah, like he hadn't noticed.

As Leo turned to look at him, Raph saw such love pass across his features. He recoiled slightly. He didn't want his love. "Hey," Leo said cautiously, but with a smile in place. That same smile he had seen every time the eldest had looked at him.

"Hey," Raph responded, equally cautious but with no smile. He lifted his hands in an awkward attempt to be inviting. "Eh...Welcome home." You shouldn't be here. Why can't you go back? is what he really wanted to say.

"Yeah," the blue clad turtle narrowed his eyes slightly, confused by the younger turtle's lack of response. "Thanks."

"Well," Raph faked a yawn. He needed to get out of here before he lost his void-ness. "I'm going ta bed." Lie. Actually, he was going to go bash some heads out of frustration that Leo was back.

Leaving, he headed towards the door. Passing his slumbering brothers, he woke them with, "Hey, Leo's back. Ya better go say hello before he leaves again." The excited voices of his younger siblings faded as he exited the lair and splashed through the sewers. Lifting the manhole and hopping topside, Raph made his way towards April and Casey's apartment. He kept the bag that contained his suit on their roof so that he wouldn't get discovered at home.

Reaching his destination, he unzipped the bag and stared at the shining metal for a moment. Looking at this armor reminded him of another metal suit. One that had always brought destruction and pain with it. [1]

Was that what he was? A large, terrifying, metal being void of all compassion? He thought about his past self. He had been so compassionate, so caring, so different than he was now. What if he just let love back in...

No. This was for the sake of himself. Despite popular belief, most of the things he did, he did for other people's sake. He deserved to be thought of once, didn't he? He deserved to be number one, just this once, didn't he?

Slipping on the armor, he made the decision not to go back to the lair to get his motorcycle. He'd feel better if he ran.

And run he did.

He ran like there was no tomorrow. Leaping from building to building, it seemed as if he had endless energy. Running, he momentarily forgot about Leo, about love. He was, for but a moment, free of burdens. And _damn_, did it feel good. But about as quick as the troubles disappeared, they reappeared and he was once again engulfed in his anger.

A cry for help quickly cut off caught the attention of the speeding turtle and he stopped in his tracks. Turning and racing to his left, the direction of the scream, the hothead readied himself to release some of his problems on some useless thugs.

Stopping on the edge of a rooftop, Raph looked down and saw a young woman pressed up against an alley wall. There were five guys around her and her frightened eyes darted to each and everyone of them. One had his hand slapped over her mouth. He seemed to be the leader; his stance held much authority.

Hopping lightly, Raph landed on the concrete with a metallic _clank_. The thugs turned around rapidly and narrowed their eyes at the metal figure before them. "Ah," the leader snarled. "The Nightwatcher." Removing his hand from the lady, he began to crack his knuckles, preparing for the inevitable fight.

"Now would be a good time to run, lady," Raph called to the woman frozen in fright. His voice seemed to give her control and she bolted down the alley.

No one remaining gave her a second glance as they charged at each other.

A goon with greasy black hair and stubble on his chin and cheeks reached the metal being first and threw a punch. Raph easily deflected the weak blow and counterattacked with an uppercut. Stubby, as he nicknamed him, rolled out of the way just as the next three arrived.

The first one was a blonde with a clean shaven face who the Nightwatcher nicknamed Blondey. The next was a bald man, conveniently name Bald Guy. Blondey and Bald Guy both attacked at once, both throwing a punch from opposite sides. Raph ducked, avoiding both blows and swung his foot around, knocking his offenders off their feet. Their friend, another man with black hair and bright blue eyes named Blue, arrived the moment they hit the ground. He didn't attack first off like his companions did, no he waited. With his arms up defensively, he waited for the Nightwatcher to make the first move. _Gladly..._

The red clad turtle started to swing with his left hand. Blue quickly went to block it, but failed to notice that it was a fake until Raph's right hand crashed into his skull. Blondey stood back up and started to approach the red clad turtle in the front. As he swung, Raph realized that there was someone behind him. Bald Guy. They were trying to sneak attack him. _No such luck, boys._ Ducking, he smirked as Blondey's fist crashed into Bald Guy's face and vise versa.

When they hit the ground, Raphael turned to the last standing thug. Leader, as he chose to call him. He stood about 5'10'' and was well muscled. He would definitely be harder to conquer. Even so, Raph was confident; he did this all the time. With a soft thud, the ends of his manriki fell into his waiting hands. He got into a defensive position and waited to see Leader's first plan of action. Just as Raph knew he would, he charged straight at him, just like all the others did. He swung and the red clad turtle dodged easily. Leader rapidly swung at his offender, but the Nightwatcher dodged each one with great ease. He could do this all day.

Raph got into a pattern and he naturally went left and right each time. Leader noticed this and smirked slightly as he double punched with his right hand. Caught off guard, the red clad turtle flew backwards into a dumpster. Pushing himself off the concrete, he growled irritably at himself. How could he be so predictable?

Leader grinned, thinking he had outsmarted his foe. He began to prance forward threateningly, a cocky look spread across his face. Raph was going to smack that cocky-ass look off that son of a bitches' face! As Leader came closer, the red clad turtle threw his hand forward, sending his manriki hurtling out of his arm. He watched with satisfaction as the metal ball hit the man right between the eyes, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.

A few minutes later, all five men were chained together and hanging from a fire escape. As they swung lightly, the thugs began to come to and, noticing their current situation, began to panic.

"Get me down from here!" Blondey exclaimed, attempting to wriggle his hand out from behind his back to no avail.

"I...I'm getting dizzy," Stubby's scared tone carried through the night as if dizziness was a symptom of death.

Leader simply glared daggers at the Nightwatcher below them. Raising one gloved finger, Raph did a quick salute to the men before disappearing into the shadows just as sirens were heard in the distance. Without looking back, the red clad turtle made his way across the city and back to the familiar roof of Casey and April's apartment building. Stripping himself of his metal armor, he placed it back in the bag until it would be needed again which would most likely be tomorrow night.

Going down the nearest manhole, he splashed his way through the sewers and made his way into the silent lair. Padding around the second level, he made his way towards his room. He stopped short when he saw a figure blocking his doorway.

His heart sped up and his limbs began to shake uncontrollably. Distracted by his fight, he had forgotten the whole reason why he had gone out there. The whole reason he was so stressed, so aggravated. In everything, he had forgotten that _he_ was back.

After a few moments, the red clad turtle had decent control of his body and, taking a deep breath, he took one brave step forward, followed by another. And another, and another. After a few more courageous steps, he reached his cross-armed brother.

Leo raised a suspicious eye ridge. "You were out late."

Raph groaned. "Don't go all 'father figure' on me. I got Splinter for dat."

Leo looked slightly hurt. "Raph...?" His voice was drowning in confusion, just like he was.

"God, Leo, I'm tired. Can't I just get some sleep?" The red clad turtle asked irritably. The blue clad turtle stared hard into his brother's eyes, studying his face. It took all Raph had to keep his face impassive. After a few moments, Leo stepped out of the way and the hothead rushed into his room, shutting the door behind him.

Resting his forehead on the wood, Raph panted, breathless from the brief encounter. He raised a once again shaking hand and rested it right above his plastron, feeling the pounding of his heart. The unwelcome butterflies were back and having a party in his stomach. Raph felt like he could have died on the spot from the look of hurt that had crossed Leo's face.

How was he supposed to stay void of love when a simple look from his brother could make his heart skip a beat and send his body in a fury?

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><p><strong>AN: **Oh Raphie boy, just give in!

[1] Just in case you didn't figure it out, it's Shredder. Yeah, make sense now?

I know what you want (more chapters) and you know what I want (reviews). I think we could set up an arrangement here...


	4. Time Consuming

**A/N: **I've been trying to upload everyday...and this was my first failure D: I tried to upload yesterday, but my _mother_ took my computer away. I'm still pissed at her for that...

Well, here we are _now_ and I promise I'll try to be better so it doesn't happen again...but I can't promise anything. I must say, I'm not a very obedient child. Alright, I'll say it: I'm a hell of a difficult child. Oh well :)

**Disclaimer: **You, my friend, are psycho. How could you possibly think I own TMNT?

**Warning: **One word: Turtlecest. Understand?

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><p>The next few days were spent differently by each family member. Mikey consumed his time by bombarding Leo with ridiculous questions that made no sense and had no purpose what so ever, and showing his eldest brother all of his new games and comics that he had come to possess in the blue clad turtle's absence. Don used his time to drown Leo in questions about the rain-forest's plants, animals, and scientific stuff that Raph couldn't understand. Splinter devoted his time between two things: 1) catching his son up on all of the events that he had missed in the old rat's soap opera and 2) training Leo. The red clad turtle was confused. Hadn't Leo gone away so that he could train? What was the point of him leaving if he was just going to do <em>more<em> training when he came back?

And then there was Raph. The hothead spent most of his time avoiding his returned brother. It was just easier that way. When he wasn't hiding from his searching lover, he was, of course, bashing heads. That helped keep him sane; well, as sane as he could be. Avoiding Leo was easier said then done, though. He was Leo, for God's sake! Master of everything perfect. He would begin to approach Raph and the hothead would just have enough time to slip into his room and shut his door. Once, Raphael's eyes were wandering and then the unthinkable happened: their eyes locked. The red clad turtle froze and those dark brown eyes seemed to dig straight through his amber ones and right to his soul. Even across the room, Leo's pain was clear. Raph's feet finally agreed to obey and he dashed to his room, just able to see the hurt flash across his brother's face.

In his room, swinging slightly in his hammock, head in hands, Raph wondered how long he could keep this up. He would have to talk to Leo eventually, whether he liked it or not and he did _not_ like it. At all. One day or another, Leo was going to catch him off guard and he wouldn't be able to escape. Though it terrified the hothead, it was going to happen.

And it was going to happen sooner than he expected.

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><p><strong>AN: **Kinda short, I know. Butttt, there's going to be a special Leo POV chapter next :D Anyone else excited? Yeah, so after that chapter, we'll be heading back to work alongside the movie. Speaking of the movie, I have this chapter (and the next one) in here cause I figure they wouldn't go back to training immediately. Wouldn't they catch up or something?

For Leo's POV, ya have ta review! :D


	5. Thoughts Of A Heartbreaker

**A/N: **I have realized with great distress that we skipped Spanish numbers last chapter! Imma clear some things up. Last chapter was tres (3) and this chapter is cuatro (4). We're learning :D

So this chapter is a special Leo POV chapter!...come on, guys. How can you _not_ be excited?

**Disclaimer: **I only own TMNT in my dreams.

**Warning: **Turtlecest. This story contains it so if you don't like guy/guy or brother/brother, I'm warning you now: Get. Out. While you still can.

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><p>Feet padded urgently towards another pair of darker color. Those feet, however, were unwelcoming. Dashing with great speed, they hardly touched the ground as they disappeared behind a door. The leaf green colored feet stopped abruptly and their owner's perceptive brown eyes stared mournfully at the wooden barrier.<p>

So many times he had tried to confront his brother, but Raph always seemed to get away. Leo didn't even know why he tried anymore. The cold reception he got from his sibling distressed him and he wondered where their strong relationship had gone. They had been so close before he left...

Leo mentally slapped himself. He had assumed that when he came back, everything would go back to normal. Like he had never left. Why would even a slither of that thought come to mind? Why had he been so stupid as to let his hopes over come reality? This was _Raph_. Leo knew better than anyone that he would never welcome him back with open arms and an open heart. This whole thing had damaged the hothead and it would take time to heal. Physical injuries, he could handle, but emotional? Those were particularly difficult for Raph.

"Guess what?" Mikey's surprisingly close voice broke Leo from his thoughts and he turned towards his brother, wondering how he had snuck up on him so easily.

"What?" Leo asked, although he already knew what was coming.

"I found more comics that I haven't showed you yet!" Mikey exclaimed excitedly and began to lead the way towards his room.

Leo silently groaned, but followed his youngest brother. Casting one last glance over his shoulder, he looked longingly at the door that had enclosed Raph. How he hated that door. Hated it with a strong passion.

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><p><strong>AN: **D: Poor Leo! Use your powerful seductive skills! XD lol, anyway, longer chapters to come, my dears! Next one will get back with the movie and we shall see were it go from there.

Review...and, well, what do you want?

~MarMar~


	6. Midnight Conversations

**A/N: **I lied. We're not going back to the movie in _this_ chapter, but we will in the _next_ chapter. Sorry for my treachery.

Alright, so this whole 'update everyday' isn't working. I just can't get it right! Sorry! So I'm going to try every other day and see how that goes (don't get your hopes up; I'm quite the procrastinator). If anything else, I'll just try to update whenever I can. I'm trying to improve!

I'm not forgetting this time: this, amigos, is chapter cinco aka 5.

**Disclaimer:** Sorry, nothing smart today; too lazy. Just a plain ol' "I don't own TMNT"

**Warning: **Turtlecest: read at your own risk.

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><p>Raph noticed that, after the hundredth time he avoided him, Leo finally began to lessen his anxious approaches on his brother. The red clad turtle was gracious for the new found space. Even though he backed off, Leo would still send Raph looks that would send chills throughout his body. He hated that a small thing like a look could cause such a reaction from him and he normally stomped off angrily after such an incident.<p>

After one of his nightly expeditions - aka his low life stress reliever - Raph was passing by the dojo on his way to bed when he heard soft voices drifting through the cracked door. Shell up against the brick wall, he began to eavesdrop.

"Leonardo, I have noticed that you and your brother have been quite separated. Is something wrong?" Splinter's soft, raspy voice was barely audible to his sneaky son.

"I've just been giving him some room, Sensei. You know how he is; just give him some time to get used to my presence again." The red clad turtle picked up a twinge of sadness in his brother's soft voice.

"It has been a week already. Even Raphael does not take that long to adjust."

Leo sighed. "This has affected him more than you know, that much I am sure of. Just...let me handle this."

There was silence, so Raph peeked around the corner so that he was able to see Splinter sending Leo a suspicious look. "As you wish, my son," he finally answered. "But might I suggest taking your brothers topside? Some training might ease them back into the way things were."

Standing, the blue clad turtle bowed. "I will, Sensei."

Returning the gesture, Splinter dismissed him with, "Goodnight, Leonardo." Nodding, said turtle turned to exit the dojo. Raph snapped his head back around the corner, ready to make a dash for his room. He didn't get the chance.

"Hey, Raph," the surprised tone of his brother made him freeze. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Turning to face his brother, he said a strained, "Hi."

Tilting his head, Leo asked, "What are you doing up?" Those fabulously dark eyes of his that always seemed to see right through the hothead were doing said activity once again.

"Uh...midnight snack," he lied swiftly and eyed the kitchen, hoping Leo would get the hint and leave.

Leo narrowed his eyes, obviously not believing him one bit. "Can I join you?"

Raph nearly groaned, but, for a reason unbeknownst to him, nodded. Why did his body keep doing the opposite of what his brain wanted?

Leo turned toward the kitchen and, body betraying him once again, Raph's feet followed. The hothead _really _hated his body at the moment. Flipping on the light, the blue clad turtle opened the fridge while his brother's rigid body took a seat at the wooden table. "What do you want?"

"What do we have?" Raph's voice was calm and smooth, surprising himself. Why wasn't his fear and awkwardness showing?

"Well...pizza."

"That's it?"

"Did you expect anything different?" Body disobeying and surprising him _again_ - he really needed to have a talk with it about behavior - Raph chuckled. Yes, _chuckled_. It felt weird coming from his throat; he hadn't done it in so long. He couldn't believe this action himself. Apparently, neither could Leo for his bewilderment was clearly shown across his face as he turned toward his brother.

"What?" Raph asked awkwardly as he twiddled his thumbs.

"You...laughed," the eldest turtle said disbelievingly.

"Chuckled," the hothead corrected.

"But...you haven't done that since I got back."

"I haven't done that since you left," Raph confessed. Silently cursing himself, he glanced up at his brother. Maybe he didn't hear him...?

No such luck.

"How come?" Leo asked as he shut the refrigerator door and came to sit across from his brother.

Looking away, Raph mumbled, "Reasons."

"Like?"

"Nothing to laugh about."

"Chuckle," Leo corrected with a slight smirk.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Suddenly becoming very serious, Leo locked his eyes with his immediate younger sibling. "Raph...what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" He stood and his voice slowly began to increase in volume as he continued. "What's...wrong? You left, that's what! You left us all in the dirt and went off on your happy, little merry, training way. You left us...left..me." Cursing himself for letting such an emotion come out of his mouth, he headed for the door. Halting in the wooden frame, without looking back, he added, "That's what's fucking wrong." Then he rushed off to his room, leaving a quite bewildered Leo alone in the dim and quiet kitchen.

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><p><strong>AN: **Uh-oh, I see some caring emotion in you, Raphie-boy! :D Work your hardest, Leo! Your almost there!

Review for the poor?


	7. Forced Trips

**A/N:** Just to let you know, I'm still going for every other day, it's just that my internet was down! For two freakin' days! I had absolutely NOTHING to do...worst days ever... Anyway, so expect the next chapter in two days!

This is chapter 6, so, en espanol, seis!

**Disclaimer:** Just like I don't own the car my sister almost crashed today, I do not own TMNT.

**Warning: **Turtlecest is contained in this story. Turtlecest, my friends. You have been warned...

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><p>The next morning, Raph could feel Leo's eyes burning into him as he munched on his cereal. He skillfully avoided eye contact. Don and Mikey picked up the tension and, vainly hoping to raise spirits, started a merry conversation about peanuts, of all things.<p>

"Bro, they're yum-um-may!" Mikey exclaimed, stuffing a large piece of a Cookies'n'Cream Poptart into his mouth.

"Very much so; so salty and delicious. They're a great snack," Don replied from across the table as he ate Poptart's nemesis, a Strawberry Toaster Strudel.

"And the way you have to crack open the shell before you can get to it? It adds a little adventure to your snacking pleasures."

"I wouldn't say 'adventure.' More like 'challenge.' You have to fight for your food."

"Just like animals do in the wild! Jeez, peanuts just give you the whole dang thing!"

Don opened his mouth to reply, but Raphael beat him to it. "Would you guys stop talking about God damn peanuts?"

"Raph," Leo barked sternly, narrowing his eyes across the table. The receiver of the reprimending look, glared back.

"Well," Mikey spoke, eyes darting between his eye-dueling **(A/N: I think this should become a new word... EYE-DUELING! XD) **brothers. "Things certainly got back to normal faster than I thought they would."

Redirecting his glare to his youngest brother, Raph growled, "Shut up." He stood up roughly, knocking his bowl off the table and splattering milk and cereal across the floor. "Just shut the fuckin' hell up!" He jumped up to his room and slammed his door.

The remaining three stared after him and stayed silent for a few moments. "Well, he's a little grouchy," the orange clad turtle mumbled.

Leo furrowed his eye ridges at his brother. "You shouldn't interrogate him."

Mikey held up his hands defensively. "Believe me, I didn't mean to annoy him this time."

"Yeah, Leo. Ever since you left, he's been extra aggressive, " Don stated. "It reminds me of one of Sensei's soaps. Like when a character loved someone deeply, intimately, and then something happened, therefore triggering something within said person." The blue clad turtle stiffened slightly at his brother's illustration. It seemed to match with this whole situation perfectly. He didn't know did he? A quick examination of his facial expressions and eyes told Leo all he needed to know. Nearly sighing with relief, he pushed back his chair and stood. "That is an...interesting comparison, Don."

"Whoa, dudes! Look at the time! I'm going to miss Tom and Jerry!" Hopping up from his seat, Mikey rushed over to the living area, plopped down on the couch and flipped on the TV.

"Well, when that's over, I thought maybe we could go topside?" Leo asked casually as he cleaned up his dishes.

Don looked up from dumping his crumbs in the sink. "Topside? Shell yeah, I'll go topside! I haven't been up there in forever."

The blue clad turtle nod curtly. "Alright then, we'll go after Mikey's precious show." Loud laughter was heard from the living area as Leo finished speaking. "The good ol' frying pan," Mikey was faintly heard saying. "That never gets old!"

Don rolled his eyes while Leo smirked slightly. It was good to be home.

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><p>Half an hour later, Mikey reentered the kitchen to find his blue and purple banded brothers enjoying some small talk over tea. They looked up at his entrance. "Hey, Mikey," Don greeted. "You done?"<p>

"Yeah. God, you just gotta love Tom and Jerry! It's a classic, dude, a classic!"

"Well," Leo took a sip of tea before continuing. "Now that you're done, wanna go topside?"

Mikey's face brightened. "Heck yeah, I do! Leaping across rooftops; it'll be just like old times!"

The eldest turtle chuckled. "You're talking like I was gone a lifetime."

The youngest's face fell. "It felt like it."

"Look, Mikey..."

"Hey, guys," Don interrupted before things got too mushy and emotional. He didn't want to deal with a crying Michelangelo _again_. "Topside?" He pointed above his head to emphasize his rush.

Leo stood. "I'll go get Raph." At this, Mikey snorted. "Good luck." Ignoring the comment, the blue clad turtle bravely made his way to the place of no return.

Raising a timid hand, Leo knocked lightly on the wood. "Whaddya want?" His brother's rough voice was heard clearly on the other side of the barrier between them. "Can I come in?"

"Why?"

"I like to see people when I talk to them."

There was a pause and what Leo believed to be a deep breath. "...Fine." The blue clad turtle opened the door to see his brother in his hammock, foot hanging off the side as he gently prodded the wall with it, swinging himself. His arm was laying across his head, hiding his face in the crook of his elbow. "I'll repeat my question: Whaddya want?"

"Well, we're going topside and I thought you'd like to come."

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"Exactly what I said. No."

"But you love it topside."

"And your point is?"

"Don't you want to go?"

"Doesn't 'no' mean I don't wanna go? Or did the English language suddenly change when I wasn't payin' attention?"

"Raph, you should come with us."

"But I don't wanna fuckin' go!" His arm was removed from face as he lashed it to empathize his annoyance. Propping himself up on one arm, he finally faced his brother. Both of their voices began to rise as they continued.

"Well I think you should!"

"Oh and since you went to Central America, you're all knowing!"

"Do you always have to bring that up?"

"As a matter of fact, yes! Yes I do!"

"I don't know why; it's past history. It's done. In case you haven't noticed, I'm back."

"Oh yeah. Ya been here a week and suddenly that's ancient stuff, eh? And of course I noticed you were back! How could I not with your fuckin' cocky and all knowing, all powerful attitude?"

"Raphael Hamato, get your ass topside!"

_Shit. Leo just cussed. He's really getting pissed...oh well._ "My _ass_ is staying right here!" Suddenly, with the swiftness of a ninja, the eldest turtle grabbed his sibling's arm right above the elbow and hauled him out of bed.

Leo was touching Raph.

This was something he could _not _handle. The hothead went stiff, heart beating quickly. This made it all the more easy for Leo to pull him out the door and literally throw his ass down to the first floor. Raph, however, being the ninja he was, flipped just in time and landed on his feet. Hopping down beside him, the blue clad turtle started for the door. "Let's go," he said as he swiftly left the lair. Don and Mikey followed quickly, shooting a questioning look at Raph. Still overcome by the first physical contact the two had had since Leo had come back, the hothead simply glared as he, for what seemed like the hundredth time, tried to gain control of his body.

Having done it so many times, he'd gotten quite good at regaining control, so within moments he was shambling out the door behind his brothers.

After leaping from rooftop to rooftop and simply enjoying the feeling of the cool night air, the brothers found themselves on top of a concrete building. They were surrounded by buildings slightly taller than there own.

"Okay, Leo, I'll bite," Raph spoke from his perch on a large, triangular concrete object sticking out of the roof. His left foot was resting beside him and his arm was slung across his knee. He found it easier to talk to his brother though it didn't make his presence any easier. "What're we doin' up here?"

"I told Splinter I'd get this team in shape again," the blue clad turtle replied. Despite how fuming he had been earlier, he had cooled off quickly. He penetrated his brother with determined stare. Leo knew that Raph was going to be the most difficult to get back in step.

"Hey," Mikey objected from his seat on the ladder of a water tower. "I've been training! Since you left, my video games scores have, like, doubled!" His hothead brother rolled his eyes; did he think about anything else?

"Right, and while you've been playing games, little brother, this Nightwatcher character has come into the neighborhood like some vigilante showboat. But his days are done."

Raph alerted at the mention of his nightly self. How did Leo know about him? TV, no doubt. Or Mikey's blabbering mouth. The orange clad turtle saw the Nightwatcher as some sort of superhero, but that's not what he was. He was just a hothead in a metal outfit, bangin' hands and relieving stress. "Hey," Raph found himself defending his other half as he hopped down from his seat. "You went a-wall Leo, and the Nightwatcher was the only guy to pick up the slack." Angering at his brother's non-understanding tone, Raphael got into Leo's face threateningly. The blue clad turtle looked as surprised as he felt, having never been this close by his own doings. "Crime never took a break, you did."

"I heard his bike turns into a plane or like a jetpack!" Mikey said excitedly before Leo could reply. his eldest brothers hardly heard him as they had a staring contest on the other side of the roof. Falling backwards so that he was hanging upside down, he addressed his immediate older brother. "Hey, Don, you're so smart; why don't we have jetpacks?"

Backing away with a quite terrified look on his face, Donatello replied, "Yeah, Mikey, that's great. I don't even trust you with a driver's license." Turning his head to face his eye-dueling **(A/N: Yes I brought it up again :D) **older brothers, he continued. "Have you seen the way this guy behaves behin-ay!" He was cut short by a monstrous cry that, scaring him considerably, caused Mikey to fall from the ladder. "Whoa!" Hopping up with curiosity spread across his face, the orange clad turtle rushed to the edge of the roof, soon joined by his brothers. "Huh-oh! Someone's cranky!" He pointed to the construction site nearby them. More angry cries filled the air and a large shadow was visible on the ceiling on one of the floors.

Itching for some action, Raph bounced up and down. Quickly thinking, he came up with a plan to meet his fighting needs _and_ annoy Leo. A win-win situation. "Alright, jungle-boy, grab a vine," he said as he leaped off the building.

"Raph, wait! Splinter told us not to fight!" The hothead heard his brother shout after him, but he ignored as usual.

He heard a chuckle followed by, "Jungle-boy, good one," before feeling the beam he was on shake with the arrival of his two younger brothers. Leo's groan was just audible before the beam shook again as he joined them. "Alright, but remember, we're only up here for training."

Up in the front, Raph didn't hear what Mikey said as he rolled his eyes at his eldest brother's 'leader tone.' When would Leo understand that they weren't just going to fall in line again?

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><p><strong>AN: **Finish! Guh, that just seemed to take forever :P Alright, so I'll try to update in two days! But don't blame me for this late chapter; blame the internet!

Feel free to point out any mistakes!

Reviews, please!

~MarMar~


	8. First Fight

**A/N:** I updated on time! Aren't you proud of me? I know I'm proud of me...Guess what? I got to swim at a mansion today! Admit it, you're jealous. Unless you live in a mansion; then you're just like, "pft, I do that everyday!" If you _do_ live in a mansion, I'm honored that a rich person is reading my fanfic...Wanna give me some money? Please?

Random moment: Today, whilst watching the Rango (just to be sure, Rango does not belong to me) credits, I saw that Bill Nighy voiced Rattlesnake Jake. Instantly thinking of Bill Nye (as in Science Guy) I shouted out, "Bill Nye!" To which my cousin responded, "The Science Guy!" Then my little brother asked, "Who's that?"...it broke my heart a little...

Enough with my rambling! This is chapter 7, therefore siete. Should I start writing out how to pronounce the Spanish words?

**Disclaimer: **My mother made cookies today! And I eated them! All of this is irrelevant to the fact that I don't own TMNT.

**Warning: **I am a creepy maniac that loves a good written (or drawn) T-cest. If you are a 'normal' person and/or homophobic, leave now. I'm warning you. You won't be happy.

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><p>Climbing up the steel bars of the building in construction, Raph was soon hit with a very strong smell. Had his hand not been currently occupied, he would have waved it in front of his face. "Whew. Ya smell dat? It's like a monkey cage up here." Reaching the level where all the noise was coming from, he let out a 'whoa' of amazement. Describing the stench to that of a monkey was quite accurate as Raphael looked at the monster before him. The furry, blue creature resembled a monkey with his humanoid body, but animistic face. It reached at least nine feet tall. A foot ninja flew past him, but the red clad turtle didn't notice; he was too fascinated by the monster.<p>

Mikey rested his head in his hand as he watched the scene progress. "Well, the good news is there's a bunch of Foot ninja getting the snot kicked out of them." The creature was lashing left and right, sending ninja flying in all directions. There was one, though, a cloaked and masked figure. She was obviously a woman (you could tell by the curves in all the right places...and the boobs), and she was doing well, but soon she too was knocked away. The animal let out a furious roar, challenging the ninja to come at him again.

The four brothers leaped up onto the floor and stood together behind a pile of bags that contained construction materials. "The bad news is, this thing's going to run out of body's soon," Donatello informed his brothers. As if to prove his point, a Foot soldier flew right past them, making them duck out of the way.

"Yeah, so?" Michelangelo asked, raising his arms and gesturing towards the tiring ninja. "You think we should help these guys?" He rested his head on his hand again, as he did earlier. "I'd rather enjoy the show. What do you say, Fearless Leader?"

Raph knew who he was referring to, but he was tired of their jibber-jabber. "I say was stop talking!" Without waiting for Leo to object, he drew his sais and rushed into battle. By the sound of Mikey's excited 'yahoo,' the hothead knew that his brothers had joined him.

As the monster knocked away a group of ninja, Raph kicked him in his bare chest. Fuzz-Ball, as he decided to call him, swiped at him, but he jumped out of the way. Mikey hopped all over his body, taunting him. "Come here, fuzzy-wuzzy!" Don joined his brothers and attacked the creature's jiggly stomach. Leo approached to accompany them, but the cloaked figure jumped beside him, causing him to turn and look at her. Realizing who was beside her, she swung her sword with an angry, "You!" Dodging each strike that she delivered, he recognized her voice. _Karai_. He thought she had gone with the Shredder. "I think we're getting off on the wrong foot here," he said between dodges. Finally catching her katana between his hands, he frustratingly said, "We're trying to help you."

"Never!" Freeing her sword from his grasp, she backflipped away from Leo. He prepared himself for attack. However, instead of charging, she raised a fist. "Team. Cha-cha." At her signal, the remaining Foot dived off the side of the building. As she began to follow them, Leo called out, "Wait! The Shredder's dead! Who are you working for?"

As Fuzz-Ball knocked both Don and Mikey away, Raph, while dodging a series of swings, spoke through clenched teeth. "A little help, oh fearless one?" As the orange clad turtle climbed up the back of the creature, Leo joined his brothers. Delivering a forceful kick, the blue clad turtle knocked the monster backwards onto a weaker part of the floor. Weighing too much, he fell through.

Leaping to another part of the floor, Raph exclaimed, "That was too easy!" At that moment, Fuzz-Ball broke through the floor right in front of him. Raising an arm to protect himself from the flying concrete pieces, the hothead continued, "Like I said, too easy!" With a hard swipe of the hand, the monster sent Raph flying backwards into a metal beam. "Uh! Bastard!"

Don and Mikey crashed into his belly, trying to push him back, but Fuzz-Ball simply knocked them away. The purple clad turtle slid backwards, unable to stop himself from tipping off the edge. Using his bo staff to prevent the downward fall to his death, he let out a panicked, "Oh, look at me, down the elevator!"

Leo leaped onto Fuzz-Ball's back and grabbed onto his horns, holding on tight. The blue being rolled backwards, bringing Mikey and Don into the bunch. "Ugh, my shoulder!" the youngest turtle exclaimed as the rolled onto some boards and fell through. "My spleen!" he shouted as they crashed down level after level, Raph keeping time with them. Finally annoyed with leaping from floor to floor, the hothead hopped off the side and dove down. Keeping a wary eye on his brothers, he rode on a wire and landed on the floor before them. A second later, they crashed through the ceiling. Diving out of the way, he commented, "Ah, this place needed a skylight."

After rubbing his head a few times, Fuzz-Ball whipped around to face them, angrier than before. The four held up their weapons and slowly backed up. Looking back over his shoulder at the poles and rocks behind them, Mikey said, "And this is why we need jetpacks."

Don's panicked voice rang louder than his brother's. "Alright, anymore great ideas?"

"How 'bout this?" The orange clad turtle and his immediate older brother looked at each other before hugging and screaming. Suddenly, rubble from above came crashing down on them. "When this is over," Don said irritably. "I'm totally calling the architect."

The teenagers could hear a faint click and then faint light was streaming in through holes in the rubble. Fuzz-Ball roared, more angry than ever. A grunt was heard right before the four pushed the debris off of themselves. Rushing to the edge, they looked around, but the ferocious beast was nowhere to be found.

"How did something that big just disappear?" Don asked, eyes searching. "It just doesn't - uh-oh!" he exclaimed when sirens were heard in the distance.

"Dude, it's the cops!" Mikey led his brother's in a rush for the nearest manhole. Reaching their escape tool, Raph looked over his shoulder at the garbage truck driving quickly away. _Why is there a garbage truck? It isn't Monday...Did that thing take that big-ass beast?_ The calling of his name brought him to reality and he irritably jumped into the manhole, followed by Don.

Once underground, Mikey turned back. His brothers curiously watched him as he lifted the manhole cover just wide enough to peek through. "Oh yeah! The turtles are back, dudes! Haha! I give us a 10 for style, an 8 for skill and a 2..for stealth." Pulling his brother back down, Raph irritably growled, "Come on, ya big doof! Let's go home." The red clad turtle led his brothers through the sewers to their home.

The next morning, Mikey, Raph, and Leo were gathered around the kitchen table, eating breakfast. Bandages marked their wounds as they ate silently. Grabbing a full box of pizza, Mikey spoke, "Dudes. Did anyone get the license plate of that thing that hit us last night? Oi, my head."

"Okay, that was just weird," Don said from his chair, large book in hand. "First the Foot and then that hideous monster."

Sitting at the table, the youngest turtle laughed. "Yeah, it looked like your mom, dude!"

"Yeah, that would make her your mom too, doofus."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Can you believe this? Keep laughing Mikey; last night was an embarrassment," Raph growled angrily.

"I'll tell you what's embarrassing: You can't even follow a single order," Leo said.

"Oh-huh-oh! You've been back one week and you're already schooling us on your master plan."

"Oh, so this is my fault, now, huh, Raph? I'm the only one who has to be responsible?"

"Hey, _you're _the trained master, not me." Raph leaned back with a huff as Mikey leaned over. "Dudes, can it! Here comes Master Splinter!" Covering up the bandage on his head, Mikey looked around nervously as the rat came into the kitchen, singing quietly. "Oh, good morning my sons!"

Don, who had joined them at the table, Mikey, and Leo said a formal, "Good morning, Sensei." Raph, however, went for his usual, "Sup."

Pouring himself some tea, the ninja master said, "Every ninja's day should start with a healthy breakfast. It fills me with pride to see you boys together again." Raph and Leo simply glared at each other. Exiting the kitchen, Master Splinter continued, "If anyone needs me, I'll be watching my stories." Quieter, he added, "Cody is going to break up with Donna; I just know it."

As the TV turned on, a news reporter said, "We interrupt Gilmore Girls for this special news report. Monsters loose in the city? Strange reports are coming in this morning about a construction site incident that sounds like something out of science fiction." Turning from the TV, he angrily exclaimed, "Boys!"

Raphael swallowed nervously. They were in deep shit.

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><p><strong>AN: **Yeah, so that was long and annoying to write. I mean, I kept having to go to the movie, then back to here, and then back to the movie. This chapter is just basically the same as the movie with slight tweaking on my part.

Sooo, review? Anyone?


	9. Enveloping Darkness

**A/N:** Yeah...you guys probably hate me...Sorry doesn't cut it, does it?..yeah, didn't think so :P Well, excuussse me for having a cold, being completely exhausted all day long, having a lot of homework, working on three fanfics at once, being completely stressed, AND having writer's block. My bad. Anyway, so this doesn't happen again, I'm going to be uploading once a week. Probably on Saturday's, possibly Fridays. If you're lucky and I have a lot of free time, I'll upload randomly throughout the week and you won't have to wait as long! :D I know I keep changing the update schedule, but I'm trying to give you guys the best of every chapter and I think I can do that if I spread it out.

Chapter 8: ocho

**Disclaimer: **I own my random singing that I do really loudly on the bus! Nothing else.

**Warning:** This story contains Turtlecest so if you don't like it, get the hell out of here!

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><p>The four teenagers each sat on a different mat in the dojo, Splinter pacing angrily in front of them. "I specifically told you <em>not <em>to go topside. When I tell you not to do something, I expect you to listen! This is unacceptable. You destroyed half of the building!"

"Hey! The building wasn't even fully constructed," Michelangelo exclaimed, but immediately regretted it as the fuming rat turned his gaze on him.

"It does not matter whether it is fully constructed or not! You deliberately disobeyed me and that is something I will not stand for." Finally releasing his youngest son of his terrifying, reprimanding eyes, Splinter began to pace again. "Leonardo, I am most disappointed in you. You are the eldest of your brothers. I was counting on you to bring order to the chaos of this family. This is why I have forbidden any surface activity; we cannot go to the surface to fight evil if we continue to fight ourselves."

"I understand Master Splinter, but how do you expect me to do that? You have given me no guidance in repairing broken families and this one has been so for quite a time," the turtle in question asked.

Before the ninja master could respond, Raphael looked furiously at his brother. "And who's fault is that, huh? You're the one who fuckin' left!" Turning to his Sensei, he continued, "We have to go out and find who's responsible for this shit. There ain't no other solution."

Bitter from his brother's outburst, Leo grumbled, "Leave the brute vigilante stuff for that Night-Watchman."

"Nightwatch_er_," his brothers corrected.

"Whatever."

Rising crossly, Raph mumbled, "I'm goin' out," before quickly exiting the dojo.

Racing atop the rooftops, the red clad turtle made his way across the city. _They don't even fuckin' care about it. They're not the least bit curious as to what the hell's goin' on! All they care about is 'family, family, family.' Whatta load o'shit._

Reaching the familiar roof, Raph hopped down to the second landing on the fire escape. Looking through the open window, he saw April watching the news, wooden katana over her shoulder. However, he wasn't here for her.

"Hey, Casey," he whispered.

Putting down the newspaper he was reading on the couch, the black-haired man cocked his head slightly. "Raph?"

"Meet me on the roof, okay?"

Leaning forward, Casey asked, "What is it?"

"The roof. Ya know what the roof is, don'cha?" Exiting the window frame, Raph began to climb the fire escape. As the man followed behind, the hothead heard him mutter something, but didn't ask, uninterested. On the roof, Raphael warily watched the sky as Casey retrieved his mask and bat from the chimney. "What's this all about, Raph?" the muscle man asked as he put on the hockey mask.

"We've got bigger things to worry about than nightly criminals."

"Like what?"

Before Raph could even open his mouth, a terrifying screech was heard above. Looking up, Casey's question was answered by the sight of the bat-like creature that flew straight past them. Letting out an amazed, "Whoa!" he watched it soar through the night sky.

"Come on," the red clad turtle commanded as he led his vigilante buddy after the monster. A few roofs later, they stopped on the outer rim, looking around. "I think we lost it," Casey said, panting.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere," Raph mumbled quietly as he crouched, eyes narrowed slightly as he searched.

"I don't think so." As if to prove him wrong, the creature let out a cry as it flew right in front of their faces, making them start. Catching themselves before they fell off, the pair watched it being pulled down by the chains around it's feet, causing it to crash onto a blue car below. It moaned as a bright light was shown right onto it.

"What's goin' on, Raph?" The hothead was getting annoyed by his companion's ridiculous questions. As if he fuckin' knew what the hell was goin' on!

"Did I mention we ran into a monster last night?"

"No," Casey answered angrily, shoving his bat into Raph's plastron. "You kinda failed to tell me about _that _one, buddy." The bat was about to go up Casey's ass when a movement caught Raph's eye. Turning, he saw figures beginning to approach, chains ready to subdue the monster.

"You do know I only have a wooden bat, don't you?"

"No, I hadn't noticed since that's the only thing you're fuckin' carrying. It's not like you've using it since before I met you." The muscle man didn't respond as the creature rose, only to be pulled down by chains once again.

"The Foot? I thought they were history!"

"Obviously not." As the Foot struggled to gain control of the beast, four menacing looking beings appeared in the light.

"And now we've got walking statues! You got a plan for those?"

"Ee-yeah. Hey, those are a first for me too. And who knows? These guys might be...friendly." Raph knew it was unlikely and was proven right when the largest of the statues came forward, effortlessly lifting a dumpster and smashing the monster. Casey chuckled humorlessly. "Friendly." The hothead clenched his fists. A smack down was coming soon. As the garbage truck removed the dumpster from the groaning monster's body, Casey peered closer. "Wait a minute...Those statues seem famil - whoa!" Raph could have facepalmed when the idiot knocked a loose piece of concrete down, bringing attention to themselves. The Foot instantly started shooting darts at them. Before he could move, one of the said darts went straight into Raph's arm. Following that hit, something embedded itself in his shell, causing him to be knocked forward, into Casey's arms. "I don't feel so good." Removing the needle from his green companion, Casey examined it quickly before looking over the edge. Fear rose within him as he watched the strange jaguar statue climb up the wall with increasing speed. "That can't be good."

Throwing down a smoke pellet, Raph took off. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw with great dismay that Casey was still standing in his place, coughing up a storm. _For the love of everything holy! _Rushing back, he grabbed him by the arm, dragging him along behind him. Roughly pulling them behind a wall, Raph irritably asked, "What, ya never heard o'smoke pellets?"

"Warn me next time; I got allergies." Not responding, Raph led them into a small storage building.

The hothead's rough pulling had caused Casey's hockey mask to fly off and now, realizing it was gone, the muscle man let out a breath of annoyance. "Oh come one! That was the second mask this week!"

Breathing heavily, Raph whispered, "He'll never find us in here." The substance of the dart coming into effect, he slouched forward. "Stay with me now," Casey held him up. "We'll be out of here soon." As if the universe was out to prove him wrong, there was a sudden metallic bang on the door, knocking them sideways and leaving a large dent. Standing quickly, the pair pushed against the door, holding it closed. The hitting continued on for a time, Casey occasionally saying something lame like, "And I thought Girl Scouts were pushy!" and "Some people just can't take a hint!"

Using the last of his strength, Raph pushed against the door, but his conscience was fading. When he was about to go, the forceful strikes ceased as a voice from above spoke, "This is the police! You, on the roof, put your hands behind your...What is that? Tommy, ya seenin' this?" Only then did Raph allow the darkness from the corners of his mind to come and envelop him as he crashed to the floor.

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><p><strong>AN: **Annd, finish! :D Just to let you all know, if you even care, I am feeling much better and should be updating on time (once a week...I hope I can do that. If I can't, I'll be worried). Anyway, did anyone else find it annoying that Splinter dumped the responsibility of rebuilding the family on Leo? I mean, Splinter's cool an' all, but seriously? It's like he can't do it himself, so he just dumps everything on poor amazing Leo. Lol, kind of like, "Welcome home! Now fix the family!"

Reviews for the person with the sniffles on the other side of this computer? Please? Pretty please? With sugar on top? And a cherry (if you like cherries)?

~MarMar~


	10. Coming to Understanding

**A/N: **Here I am with the next installment of Returning Home :D Yeah, so the last two chapters were just boring ones based on the movie, but _this _chapter, after the beginning section, is non-movie material! Yay! :)

Chapter 9: nueve

**Disclaimer: **I own my currently broken heart, not TMNT.

**Warning: **If you haven't noticed by the past nine warnings, this story contains Turtlecest. If you plan on complaining about it, be prepared to receive a long message that will probably contain large amounts of cussing. And it will be in all caps to emphasize my disappointment at your lack of ability to read the warnings. Shame on you.

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><p>"Mm-mm," Michelangelo leaned back in his kitchen chair, stomach full and content. "My compliments to the chef!" Letting out a loud and lasting belch, he hardly heard the phone as it began to ring. Standing, Donatello abandoned his half eaten piece of pizza and approached the dinging object. "Cowabunga Carol Party Services. Cowabunga, dude," his eye ridges furrowed as a raised voice began to ramble on the other end. "Whoa, whoa. Slow down, April. Now, what happened to Raph?" Leo didn't hear the rest as he froze, pizza stuck halfway on it's journey to his mouth. His heart began to pound, senses overcome with worry, mind racing with the possibilities. <em>What has that idiot done now? Can't he just...just stay safe for two seconds? Why can't he just give my nerves a break? <em>Despite his slight annoyance, the blue clad turtle was out the door before any of his other family members could move.

Landing heavily on the fire escape, the three brothers entered the open window to the sight of Raphael on the floor, pillow under head and April leaning over his unmoving body. The redhead's exclaims of surprise at the sight of Leo were matched by her boyfriend's as he entered the room a second after their arrival. "Sorry the reunion couldn't be under better circumstances," he said, eyes never leaving his unconscious brother.

"Whoa-ho," Mikey said as he followed his eldest brother into the apartment. "Nice pad, kids." Bright blue eyes finally settling on the hothead, his voice dulled as he continued, "Oh, hey, Raph." Leo was quite disgusted by his lack of concern for their injured brother. Something could be seriously wrong, and he didn't even care. The eldest turtle's attention was drawn to Don as he began to examine Raphael, murmuring quietly to himself. After a few seconds, he let out an amazed, "Whoa!" Turning the red clad turtle onto his plastron, he made the stone, star-like object lodged in his shell visible to the other occupants of the room. Removing it carefully with a pair of tweezers, he narrowed his eyes and furrowed his eye ridges, studying it. "Some sort of stone. Probably obsidian, I think."

"Well, is he going to be alright?" Leo asked, becoming agitated that he seemed to be the only one concerned for their brother's well-being. As if in answer to the question, Raph groaned, in obvious pain. Before Leo could voice his ever-growing anxiety, Don spoke, still examining the stone weapon. "There's an engraving on it. Looks South American; that's your department, April." He reached out his hand containing the tweezers, and she took it carefully, studying the signs and symbols.

Leaning forward in the chair he was occupying, Casey held out a dart. "Would it help you if I told you that those statues you collected for that Winters guy were shooting these at me and Raph?" Looking at the offered quill, April's eyes widened considerably in shock and recognition. "The legend of Yoatl. It...It can't be. It was just a myth, a scary story the locals-" Her awe-filled tale was interrupted by another, louder groan from the mutant on the floor.

"I'd better take him home and treat him. I have better supplies there," Don said as he stood.

"No, I'll take him," Leo countered, also standing.

"I'm the family doctor here," the purple clad turtle objected.

"You're not the only capable one. Being in a jungle for a couple years by myself, I've become quite adjusted to taking care of injuries. I'm not too bad with medicines, either. You would obviously be more interested and knowledgeable about this Yoatl, and you can tell me all about it later."

Sighing in defeat, Don mumbled, "alright," before helping to swing Raph over Leo's shoulder. With a farewell nod to the others, the blue clad turtle left as April began her tale again.

Raphael groaned quite a few times on the way home and every time Leo had a mini heart attack. When he saw the entrance to the lair, he was overcome with relief. His entrance brought the attention of his sensei, who raked his worried eyes over his second eldest son. Eyes meeting the carrier of the injured mutant, he nudged his head towards Don's lab, where most medical issues were taken care of. Nodding in wordless understanding, Leo carried his brother inside, shut the door, and laid him on the bed. As he situated the blankets around Raph, the blue clad turtle raised a hand and brushed in down his unconscious lover's cheek. Relishing at the feeling of the tough texture, he closed his eyes, realizing how much he had missed the feel of his skin against his own. Raph stirred, causing Leo to flinch and snatch his hand away, knowing how angry his brother would be if he felt or saw such an action. Bleary eyes opened slowly then snapped wide as he saw the hovering body above him.

"Leo! Where the hell am I?" He began to sit up, but his older brother's hand was instantly on his shoulder, pushing him back down. Raph shivered at the contact.

"Stay down," Leo commanded. "You were shot by some walking statue or something of the sort. It's obviously not getting along with your system." A sudden spasm overtook his stomach and the hothead grimaced. "Let me get you something for that." Leo turned away from his patient and opened the cabinet that Don kept all of his medical supplies in. Scanning a finger along the bottles, he grabbed the one he was looking for and poured the contents into a measuring cup. Handing it to Raph, he instructed, "Eat it."

"It's a liquid. Only kid's medicine is liquid."

"Not all liquid formula is. Now eat it."

Sending Leo a suspicious glance, he took his time raising the plastic cup to his mouth and pouring the thick, red liquid down his throat. He instantly gagged. "God, it tastes like shit!"

"There's nothing I can do about that." Leo took the measuring cup and set it aside to be washed later.

"Yeah, well-" before the sharp reply could continue out, Raph was overcome with a fit of coughs. Leo was by his side in a second, rubbing his shell until he was able to catch his breath. "Get your fuckin' hands off me," the hothead growled and his brother, dismayed to say the least, obliged.

"Are you hungry?" A shake of the head. "Thirsty?" Raph nodded. His caretaker left and reappeared a few moments later with a glass of water. He reached an arm around, preparing to help his brother to sit up, but, after a death glare from the hothead, he held his hands up defensively and backed away. Chugging it all quickly, he handed the empty glass to Leo. Setting it beside the measuring cup, the eldest turtle sat in a chair beside the bed and simply stared at his brother, studying his face. Raph looked over and furrowed his eye ridges. "What?"

"I...I don't get you."

"..Whaddya mean?"

"Before I left, we were...I mean, you and I...were..."

"Together," Raph whispered the word his brother couldn't.

"Yeah...and then...I come back and...you just...well, you know," Leo rubbed his eyes tiredly. "You're going to be the death of me." Raph stayed silent, having nothing to say. Leo, as predicted, continued. "I don't understand what happened. Are we even still together? I'm so unsure, so...confused! Did this time apart separate us more than distance? And the worst part is, you won't even talk to me. I want you to let it out, let me know. Help me to understand, but do you do that? No. You just go along your angry way and don't tell me anything. Not a _fucking _thing." He sighed and rubbed his eyes again. "You won't tell me anything, but let me tell _you_ something." Leo looked directly at Raph who looked directly at hands in his lap. "I love you. More than a brother, as you already know. I love you and I want to know if you still feel the same way. Cause if you do...God, if you do, save me from drowning in this flood I'm in. If...If you don't, I..I won't bother you again...So?"

Raph continued to look at his fingers, not uttering a word.

Leo swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to form words. "Al-Alright. I won't bring it up again." Standing, he kept his eyes on his feet and made his way toward the door. The hothead watched his reseeding form, mind racing. Did he really want to be loveless? Was his only chance of happiness walking away from him right now? What was the right choice for him; what should he do? He had to decide quickly for one of his options was walking away from him and, if he did decide against him, he didn't know if he could get him back.

The hothead's mouth was suddenly dry as he wiped his parched tongue across his arid lips. "Le-"

"Leonardo, my son," Splinter's raspy voice overpowered his second oldest, making Leo inaudible to Raph's voice. "How is Raphael doing?"

Glancing sadly at his brother, his gaze quickly returning to his father, he reported, "He's fine," before dismissing himself to his room. The elder rodent looked after his eldest, concerned by his distressed aroma. Shaking his head, he turned to Raphael. "I'm glad you are feeling better, my son. You had us all quite worried, especially Leonardo. He was particularly apprehensive about your well-being."

"Yeah," the red clad turtle mumbled. "I know." Splinter left him to rest, leaving Raph with his thoughts which was something he didn't want to be alone with at the moment.

He rubbed his eyes in distress. "God, Leo. Why do you have to make everything so damn complicated?" Sighing, he turned on his side and attempted to get some sleep.

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><p><strong>AN: **Phew, I thought it'd never end! Seriously, that just took forever :P Anyway, poor Leo! :( All alone in the world of love...or is he? Oh the suspense ;)

Review! Review for the love! :D


	11. Discoveries

**A/N:** I have a four day weekend, my friends! And what do I plan on doing? Watching every single Disney movie I have :D I can't think of a better way to spend my days (except writing/reading fanfiction and I might possibly to that to).

Chapter 10: diez

**Disclaimer: **Me? Own TMNT? I'm flattered...but no.

**Warning: **This fanfic contains Turtlecest. If you don't know what that is, Google is always there for you!

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><p>Raphael woke at the excited rambling of his youngest brother. Though Michelangelo's voice carried throughout the lair, the red clad turtle could not make out what he was saying. Pushing himself into a sitting position, Raph strained to hear what was being said, but after a few minutes, he gave up. As he turned and swung his feet off the bed, preparing to stand, Donatello entered the room and turned on the light.<p>

"Oh! Forgot you were in here; sorry," the genius said to his blinking brother.

"Whatever," he waved it off. "What's Mikey making such a fuss about?"

"The legend." Raph gave him a confused look. "The one April was talking about last night." Still no response. "Right, you were knocked out. I guess I'll explain. Apparently, three thousand years ago, a great warrior found a portal to another dimension. It released thirteen monsters into the world and turned all of his generals to stone, but turned him immortal. So this guy has lived three thousand years of regret, building an empire and trying to find ways to revive his generals. And, according to some star charts I studied, the portal is due to open directly over Winter's tower in the next twenty-four hours."

"Well ain't that fantastic."

"I hear ya. By the way, how are you feeling?"

"Better."

"What'd Leo give you?"

"Some nasty red liquid."

Don instantly knew which one he was describing because it was the only medicine he had of that color. "Huh, maybe he did learn something in that jungle."

Standing, Raph swung slightly on his feet, but quickly regained his balance. "I need some fresh air."

His brother held a hand to his chin, pondering for a moment. "I guess some fresh air would be good for you. Just don't push yourself too hard."

"Whatever you say," the hothead said dismissively as he made his way across the empty living area - where had Mikey gone? - and exited the lair. He took his usual route to the familiar rooftop and dressed in his metal outfit of doom. At the moment, he didn't know what he thought of Leo and that made him - surprise - angry. And he knew how to put anger to use.

"..._report of a disturbance on 32nd. No units available,_" the police radio Raph had installed inside his helmet rang out the perfect opportunity. Racing across the city, he stopped on the roof of the building next to the small diner. He was about to jump down when he saw a couple of Foot ninja on the rooftop behind the cafe. His favorite group of statues were beside them and quickly jumped down out of view. Going to the 'disturbance' he assumed. The ninja stayed where they were. He knew he couldn't take the stone guys, but the Foot he could handle. And he _really _needed to hit something.

Making a large circle, Raph came up behind the ninja unnoticed. He threw out a manriki, hitting one in the back of the head. He fell to the ground. His partner turned quickly and got into an defensive position, hands balled into fists.

Dropping both of his manriki, Raph called out, "Ah, hand-to-hand. This should be fun." He raced forward and swung. The Foot ninja ducked and swiped out a foot, but his opponent skillfully dodged. The mutant counterattacked with an uppercut that sent the Foot a few paces back. Shaking his head, the ninja raced forward and Raph prepared to block whatever blow he delivered. However, the Foot did a graceful flip over the mutant and kicked him forcefully in the shell, knocking him forward. Growling in frustration, Raph turned quickly and delivered a powerful punch to his enemy's jaw. As the ninja staggered, the hothead hit him repeatedly in the face until he fell to the ground. He looked over the side of the roof at the diner and saw the four statues exit through the door, a tiny red, unconscious monster in the woman's arms. A sound behind him made him turn with great speed, fists raised. A figure emerged from the shadows.

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><p>Leonardo gloomily exited his room, one certain mutant on his mind. What had happened to what they had? It had been so strong, so passionate. He had thought it was unbreakable. He thought wrong. He sighed and shook his head, trying to clear it to no avail. He headed toward Don's lab to check on his patient. He knew that being in the same room as him right now could be fatal, but he had to be sure he was alright. Bravely entering, he saw his purple banded brother tinkering with his latest experiment. The bed was empty.<p>

"Where's Raph?"

Don responded without looking up. "Topside. Said he needed some fresh air."

Leo nodded his understanding even though his genius brother couldn't see him. He left the lab and plopped down on the couch beside Mikey. To his surprise, he was watching the news. "Mikey, I thought you hated the news."

"Not when _he's_ in it!"

Curious as to who 'he' was, Leonardo returned his gaze to the screen. The news lady was making a report. "He's at it again! Just last night, a large bank robbery was prevented by the Nightwatcher. There is a large dispute as to whether he is a savior sent from Heaven or just a plain nuisance..." Leo stopped listening and turned his attention to the picture of the metal man in the corner of the screen. The Nightwatcher. Leo felt a subtle anger start to build. He had just walked in here like he could just start doing whatever he liked, but he couldn't. Leo wasn't going to let him. He beat robbers to the near brink of death from what the eldest could tell from some news reports. Sure they were burglars, but they were still people. He didn't know when to stop; he was a danger to the city and, ever since he had first encountered the Shredder, Leonardo had vowed to keep the city and it's people safe.

Standing, the eldest turtle left the lair.

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><p>Raphael stared dumbstruck at the mutant before him. <em>What the hell is Leo doing here?<em> The blue clad turtle simply glared at the Nightwatcher before finally speaking. "I understand you are trying to help, but I can't let you continue. You are a danger to the city and to it's occupants. You show no mercy! So, I'm giving you a chance to quietly resign from your current occupation."

The vigilante didn't reply, knowing that Leo would be able to recognize his voice without a second thought.

"I'm warning you. You should take the easy way out." When he still didn't reply, the blue clad turtle growled, "Don't make me take the hard way. I _will_ make you."

_Did he just threaten me? Oh, there is _no_ fuckin' way. _He raised his fists defiantly. Leo's eyes narrowed. "As you wish." They both rushed forward at the same time. Raph swung, Leo ducked. Leo kicked, Raph dodged. This routine continued for a short while until Leo did a flip over the vigilante. As the Foot ninja had done this earlier, Raphael leaped to the side before his brother could touch him. They got into the same routine again. Swing, duck, kick, dodge. All of a sudden, Leonardo delivered a powerful uppercut to his opponent. The Nightwatcher flew backwards, helmet falling to the concrete with a metallic _clang_! The blue clad turtle approached him but stopped short, horrified when he saw the helmet's owner.

"Raph?" Leo exclaimed in disbelief.

Standing, he faced his brother furiously. "Yeah, Leo. It's me. I'm surprised in your complete perfectness that you hadn't figured it out by now."

"I've been kind of distracted with the hell you put me through at home." He looked his brother over. "...Why?"

"Well, with the hell _you_ put me through, I had to have something to release some stress."

"With the hell I put you through? Last time I checked, you didn't want my love so my leaving shouldn't have been that hard on you, now should it?"

"I wanted it then!"

"So somewhere over my absence, you stopped loving me? What, did Mikey start looking good to you?"

"Are you fuckin' serious?" Raph growled dangerously. "You really think I'd go for Mikey?"

"What, Don then?"

"You think I'd actually go for anyone else in the lair?"

This took Leo by surprise. "I thought you didn't want my love?"

"I don't!"

"You don't want my love? Fine! It's gone! But let me warn you: at times, my love was the only thing keeping my from ripping you head off!"

"Is that a threat?"

"Take it how you want it."

"It sounds like you wanna go, right here, right now. That I can oblige to." He reached his hands behind him and pulled out his sais.

Without uttering a word, Leo unsheathed his katanas. On a silent cue, the brothers rushed at each other, a dangerous glint in either of their eyes.

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><p><strong>AN: **You know what this means, don't you? THE BATTLE SCENE IS NEXT! :DD I have been looking forward to this the whole time!

I didn't completely like their argument, so tell me how I did!

~~~Reveiw~~~


	12. To the Death?

**A/N: **And now, for the chapter you've (and I included) all been waiting for...THE BATTLE SCENE :DD

Chapter 11: once (un-say)

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**Warning: **This story contains Turtlecest, blah, blah, blah. By now, I would hope you understand.

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><p>Their weapons collided, instantly locking. Two pairs of angry eyes met, both seemingly trying to melt the other with their shear gaze. Raphael broke it first, jumping back and sweeping a foot under his opponent. Leonardo jumped and swung a foot out in a powerful kick. It knocked the hothead back a few paces, but he was instantly back, striking out with his sais. The eldest of the two dodged each one, watching them with calculating eyes as he studied how close they were to coming in contact with his skin. His eyes narrowed as he realized this was no ordinary battle he had almost everyday with his brother. No, in this one, there were no 'safety rules.' No Splinter to tell them that they were too rough. No. It was just them and a whole bunch of anger.<p>

Leonardo returned from his less than a second thinking and retaliated his brother's efforts. His katanas sliced the air with perfect precision. Some of his blows were blocked by sais, but those that were not clanked uselessly off Raph's armor. He snorted almost soundlessly in agitation. The hothead was covered in protection and here he was. Completely vulnerable.

Their weapons locked again and, before he could escape their position, Raph lashed out with his fist, striking his brother's face before kicking him back into a wall. Leo shook his head slightly as he stood again, clearing it. They circled each other for a while, each looking for a possible opening. Nothing. Out of patience, Raph rushed forward and his brother readied himself for his arrival. The katanas easily fit into the sais as they connected, but the swords twisted viciously, sending the other flying from it's owner's grasp. Raphael heard his sais ring as they hit the concrete to his right. He stared at his empty hands for a moment before ducking to avoid a swipe from Leo. As he turned to face his brother, empty-handed, he searched for an opportunity. He found one was the swords sliced dangerously close to his neck. He grabbed Leonardo's wrists and twisted them into a painful position causing his swords to slip from his grasp. Then, still holding onto his wrists, he flipped his brother and watched him roll a few feet from him. Kicking the swords away, Raph watched as Leo stood, fists clenched and ready. A slight smirk crossed the hothead's face. Hand-to-hand combat was always more interesting.

They circled again. Punches were produced and dodged, given and received. Somewhere in the middle, they began to wrestle. Leo tripped, causing him to fall to the concrete below. Raph fell on top on him. Raphael held Leo tightly, securely as his brother struggled. Their noses brushed slightly. A shiver seized through the red clad turtle's body. There was something uncontrollably sexy about a sweaty, breathless Leo slithering below him. Unfortunately, Leonardo noticed his slight distraction. He slipped from his grasp and rolled them over. But Raph recovered quickly and they both began to struggle to be on top, to be the dominant one.

As they rolled by the long forgotten sais, Raphael lashed out quickly and struck his brother in the face again as he reached for his weapons and stood. Leonardo also stood and retrieved his weapons. As they engaged in battle once again, the hothead wondered how long this would last. Would they go until morning? Would they just wait for their opponent to grow so weary that they cannot continue? Would...Would it go to death? He quickly shook _that _idea as Leo swiped at his head again. He ducked and swiped a sais at his brother. It was easily deflected.

They continued like this for a while and Raph allowed his instincts to take over. He was hardly even aware it had happened, but it was one thing that changed this whole battle.

Raphael had drawn blood.

Leonardo looked at the crimson liquid sliding down his arm. Reverting his gaze to his brother, he snarled viciously, "That's how you want to play? Fine; let's go." He struck, aiming straight for Raph's head. Fear ran through the hothead as he ducked. _Shit, shit, shit. This just got God damn serious. _He dodged and ducked repeatedly as he tried with all his might to keep his head on, literally. Seeing as he was getting no where, Leo aimed lower. With a single, well-aimed swipe, he sliced his brother's left hand. Blood gushed as Raph cried out in pain. Gritting his teeth, he retaliated. He struck out with a sai. Leo moved quickly to avoid it, but didn't have time to dodge the other sai that came around and cut his other arm. He counterattacked with a kick that sent Raphael flying into the lit sign on the rooftop. He crashed into it hard and began to fill with dread when he heard a slight creak. Before he could blink, it crashed down on top of him. Raph tried to maneuver himself out from under it, but his arm was trickily tangled in the word Red. Trying multiple times, he failed to remove himself from the sign's grasp. As a last resort, he began to very painfully undress. Being under a sign made it difficult, but after a time he was free. As he untangled himself from the lights, he stood and saw Leo just standing there. Waiting. It was a terrifying sight. Even so, he recollected his weapons and took up a defensive position, preparing himself for more pain.

As they began to battle once again, Raph wondered how long they had been doing this. It felt like an eternity, but, as far as he knew, it could have only been an hour. He thought about looking at the moon to decipher the time, but soon scratched that idea. A single distraction could earn him a very painful injury. He yelped with surprise when he received a deep cut on his bicep. Blood began to pour, but he hardly felt it as his adrenalin flew throughout his body. In return, he gave Leo a nasty wound on his leg. The blue clad turtle began to get a slight limp as his shin soon covered in blood.

They were both running out of energy and blood. Raphael knew that neither of them would be able to go for much longer and one look at his brother told him Leo was thinking the same. One of them would be victorious soon.

As sais and katanas locked for what seemed to be the hundredth time, the brothers were too exhausted to move away. Instead, they circled. They circled round and round, baring their teeth at each other like the half-animals they were. As Raph's grip tightened on his weapons, for reasons unbeknownst to him, he began to twist his hands. His mind had some sort of plan that, in his exhaustion, he wasn't completely aware of. It was only when he heard the faintest creak from Leo's swords that he knew what was happening. Before he could rethink his brain's plan, the katanas snapped. As Leonardo stared in disbelief at his beloved weapons, Raphael gave his brother a kick in the plastron and the eldest fell to the ground. Before he could stop it, Raph's sai came down on instinct as it does when fighting with thugs. The cry of pain that came from his brother was sure to give him nightmares for months. The hothead's eyes widen to unbelievable measure as he stared at the deep graze on Leonardo's neck.

He gaped in horror as all past anger and hurt was completely demolished. All he could feel was his undying love and increasing terror. His mouth became dry and it was difficult to speak, but he forced the words out. "Fuck, fuck, _fuck!_" He cried out as Leo's eyes began to slide shut. "Leo! Stay with me, bro! You're going to be okay. I'll get you to Don and he'll fix you up and you're going to be okay," he reassured himself as well as his brother. He pushed a hand on Leo's neck, trying to stop the bleeding. He heard a sob and realized it came from him. "Leo...I'm so sorry. This is all my damn fault. I was an idiot and an ass and now look what I've done! Why? Why am I so stupid?" His brother was unresponsive. "Leo, I-I love you. I always have, always will. I was just hurt when you left and, well you know me. But...God, why did I do this?" He cried out to the night sky. "If I had just let you back. If I had just allowed us to be...happy, we wouldn't be in this mess, but here we fuckin' are." He saw with some relief that the blood flow seemed to have lessened. He untied his bandanna and tied it around Leo's neck as a makeshift bandage. "Leo, you're going to be okay. We're going to-" he was cut off as the sound of rock hitting concrete sounded behind him. He shuddered, already knowing what it meant: certain destruction. Raph stood and turned to face his newest enemies. The four stone generals surveyed the scene, not uttering a sound. When her gaze fell on Leo, the woman smirked. As she began to approach, Raph reached his bloody hands to his sais and scrambled up. "You can't have him!" He screamed at her. With all the energy he could muster, he attacked. She easily knocked him to the ground, but he was soon back. She knocked him back again and again, but he persisted, though with less strength each time. As he hit the ground again, he felt the darkness coming. He tried to fight it back, but he was no match. Before he blacked out, he saw the statues pick up Leo. _His_ Leo. His last thought was that he was going to kick their asses to his last breath to get his lover back. Then he was out.

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><p><strong>AN: **The love is back, my friends :DD I just want to credit Amonraphoenix for some of the parts in this chapter. She helped develop it, so thanks!

So, was the fight up to your expectations? Are you satisfied? Are you unsatisfied? Only one way to tell me :)

~~~Review~~~


	13. Making It Home

**A/N:** Here we are with the next chapter of Returning Home! Enjoy! :D

Chapter 12: doce (doe-say)

**Disclaimer:** I own the raw cookie dough I just ate (yum! XD), nothing else.

**Warning: **Friends, dear friends...if you don't like Turtlecest, escape while you can! I, however, shall stay and enjoy it greatly.

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><p>Raphael wearily opened his eyes. His first sight was the pool of blood beside him and soon, the events of the night all came rushing back to him. "Leo!" he exclaimed, sitting bolt upright. He was rewarded with the sudden conquering of his body with dizziness. He raised his bloody hand to his head and squeezed his eyes tight until the feeling of spinning stopped. Then slowly and carefully, he opened his eyes again. Judging by the rising sun, he had been out awhile; a few hours at the very least. Had Leo made it through the night? He had been pretty wounded. <em>Because of me.<em> Raph thought mournfully. Leo could be dead and it was _all his fault._ The hothead couldn't even begin to explain or even comprehend how much he regretted the past couple years. All that time of ruining his life. His brothers' and Sensei's life. Leo's and his relationship. All because of a heartbreak. All because of what a stubborn ass his was and still is.

As the hothead painfully got to his feet, he considered what the best action would be to take. The obvious option would be to go home and explain the situation to Sensei. But, oh. He wanted to kick their asses so fuckin' bad! He was trembling with anticipation - or was that from loss of blood? Quelling his thirst for vengeance, he made the most logical decision and started for the lair. As he cautiously made his way across the rooftop, he noticed how much blood there was. Surely, he shouldn't be alive. How could he be living if more than half his blood was splayed across the concrete. And what about Leo? He had a cut to the neck along with other bleeding injuries. Was it even possible to live? Raphael shuddered from that thought. Knowing that Leo was about as stubborn as he, gave the hothead some hope, but not much.

After a long, tiresome trip to the ladder, the red clad turtle, using his good hand, slowly and carefully lowered himself to the ground. With great difficulty, he lifted the manhole cover and hopped into the sewer.

He instantly regretted that action.

The moment he landed, his legs buckled. They were weak as it was and that impact, no matter how small, had been their limit. He landed in the sewer water with a loud _splash!_ After several attempts, Raph concluded that he was not walking home. Using whatever strength he had left, he grabbed hold of something solid and pulled himself forward. It was a slow, agonizing process. His injuries grated along the slimy concrete and the blood he had left disappeared in the brown water. He wanted to scream in pain, but instead kept an image of Leo in his mind. Wonderful and beautiful, beaten and broken Leo. It gave him the strength to continue; that he could feel that slick, leaf green skin against his own. That he could gaze into those precious brown eyes and see nothing but love. That he could feel those luscious lips give him one of those kisses that always left him wanting more. He was nearly unconscious again when he reached the door. Unable to lift himself and pull the lever, Raph raised a shaking fist and hit the metal disguised to look like brick once. He fell to the ground, exhausted.

Michelangelo answered the door and shrieked in horror at the sight of his brother. He quickly called Donatello who, after a moment of worry, went into doctor mode and started to order Mikey around. Raph was just able to mumble, "Leo," before he blacked out. Whether he was heard and understood or not was unknown, but it was the least of his problems.

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><p><strong>AN: **I know, I know. Short chapter. But give me a break, here! I mean, look at the amazing chapter I gave you last time. Can't a girl tone down a little?

Reviews for a girl who, like poor Raphael, is nearly dying of exhaustion? Please?


	14. The Truth Emerges

**A/N: **I'm sorry for my late update. I don't have an excuse unless you can call laziness an excuse. But alas, here I am with the next chapter!

On another note, I just watched Walk The Line for what I think to be the hundredth time (it's a movie about Johnny Cash). I love it so so so so so so much! It's so powerful, adorable, and it's Johnny Cash, for goodness gracious!...sorry, I'm just kinda having a fan attack over here...

Chapter 13: trece

**Disclaimer: **I own my extreme love for Johnny Cash, not TMNT.

**Warning: ***sigh* here we go again, folks. How 'bout I make it simple? Turtlecest in story.

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><p>"Raph! Help me, Raph!" The voice echoed though there was nothing for it to bounce off of. He was surrounded by black with just a little path of light to follow.<p>

"Leo! I'm coming, Leo, just hold on!" He hurriedly followed his small path, searching urgently for his lover.

"...Raph..." The voice was so close, so quiet.

"Leo? Where ya at?" He asked, looking around frantically.

"...Over here, Raph." He was sitting in a small meadow; the perfect place for meditation. A circle of light protected him from the darkness on every side of him.

"Leo." He hugged his lover before sitting up abruptly. "...You said you needed help. From what?"

The raised finger shook considerably as it pointed into the black. "Him."

All of a sudden, a figure leaped out of the shadows, tackling Raphael. They wrestled viciously, rolling around in the grass. The unknown character stood, grabbed a hold of his opponent and swung him into a tree (where had a tree come from?). Before the hothead could stand, the figure was already in front of Leo, sais raised. He looked back at Raph, the light catching perfectly in the light. The frantic ninja gasped in horror.

It was him.

The evil figure was him. _Raph_. Leo's scream brought him out of his horror and into a new one. The figure, he was slashing away at the vulnerable ninja.

"Leo! Get up! Run! Just-"

"Raph! Help me! Do something!" he cried between screams of pain. Raphael stood and prepared to launch an attack, but his feet were rooted to the ground. He couldn't move.

"Raph..." the voice got weaker as he lost blood.

"LEO!" he screamed. "LEO! FIGHT BACK! GET UP!"

"...Raph..."

"LEO!" he screamed as the figure raised a hand and viciously sliced his neck. Leonardo fell to the ground.

"LEO!" he sunk to his knees in defeat, in heartbreak. For the first time in forever, he sobbed.

"Raph!" he was being shaken. "Raph, wake up!" His wet eyes opened to the worried face of Michelangelo.

He swallowed painfully. "It...it was me," he murmured.

"Huh? What was you?"

"That...That monster...me..."

Mikey laid a caring hand on his brother's arm. "Raph...it was just a nightmare. It's alright, bro. You're here, you're safe."

"But...he's not."

Donatello entered the room as Mikey whispered, "Raph...where's Leo? Where's your mask? What happened?"

Raphael tried to swallow the lump rising in his throat, but to no avail. "You...You better bring Master Splinter in here. It'd be easier if ya all heard it at once."

After the youngest turtle got their Sensei, Raph shifted uncomfortably. Where should he start? At the argument? But then they'd have to know about their secret relationship and were they ready to know? Should he just start at the beginning and tell them all of it?

"My son, it would be best if you started at the beginning and told us all that has occurred," the rat said, seemingly reading his mind.

"Uh, okay. So..." How was he going to say this? He..he couldn't do it. No, he _had_ to do it, for Leo. "I love Leo."

"I understand, my son. He is your brother."

"No...Not like a brother...more," the look on his family's faces was enough to kill him.

"What?" Mikey exclaimed in surprise.

"Raphael? Did I hear your correctly? You are in love with your _brother_?"

"Well...it does make sense," Don stated, surprising them all. Three pairs of wide eyes turned on him. "Well, every creature has a yearning for companionship. It's built into us. Even though animals in the wild don't normally stay in contact, except for those in packs or something of the sort, they come together to mate. But we are the only of our kind, so it only seems logical that we search for companionship in each other, whether it is in friendship or more intimate actions."

Having a reasonable answer to their relationship caused something to snap in Raphael's mind. Suddenly, his mouth was jabbering away. He told them about how they've been together for years now, keeping it a secret from the rest of them. He told them how his lover's absence had affected him. Made him feel heartbreak, terror, and pain beyond anything he'd ever felt before. How he made the vow to himself never to love again. He told them about his struggles when Leo came back. How the blue clad turtle affected him. Finally, he told them about their fight. About the vicious words exchanged and the merciless slices and slashes given and received.

"And when I woke up, they were all gone," he concluded.

"So you're in love...with Leo?" Mikey asked, ditsy tone drifting in his voice.

"Is that all ya care about?" Raph screamed at his little brother. "Our big brother is out there, injured and kidnapped, and all ya care about is that I love him? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It's just...I don't know. I just can't picture you two together."

The hothead sighed angrily and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "You can stand here and try to picture it as much as ya want; I'm gonna go rescue him."

"If you think you can do it alone in that condition, you're mistaken," Don intercepted his path. "Forget Mikey's stupid rambling; we love Leo too, just not like you do. He's our brother and we're going to rescue him together."

"Then I think we should get moving," Splinter said as he led them out of Don's lab and, after grabbing their weapons, out of the lair.

Vengeance was soon to be theirs.

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><p><strong>AN: **Review, please! :DD


	15. Honey, Lilacs, and Nightingales

**A/N:** Annnnd we're back! Coming to you from West Virginia, it's Returning Home! :DD ...Yes, I'm from West Virginia and I'm damn proud of it! Believe it or not, we're not all hill-billys and we don't all marry our cousins (that's a nasty sterotype...that's just...no). Lol, I find it kinda weird that I find cousins marrying gross, but here I am...writing about gay, brother love... I'm such a weirdo :P

Chapter 14: catorce

**Disclaimer:** No TMNT for me :(

**Warning:** This story contains Turtlecest. BE GONE DEVILISH FLAMERS!

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><p>"Soo, how're we gettin' in there?" Casey Jones scratched the back of his masked head. The mutants had gone to straight to April and him, knowing they couldn't do this on their own. Not without Leo; not when Raph was so badly injured. After some explaining and more explaining for Casey's sake, they got the picture. The secret love was hard to swallow at first, but, after thought and consideration, they understood and accepted. The group was currently standing in front of the entrance to Winter's mansion, staring up at the large gate.<p>

"It's simple, really," Donatello stated, bringing his gaze down to rest on the muscle man. "We knock." Knocking three times on the doors, the purple clad turtle shoved a large turtle head onto Casey's skull before running off, followed by the others. A surprised Mr. Jones stood there before turning in the direction his companions had gone, but before he could move, the gates opened.

"You've got to be kidding me," Karai's monotone voice drifted into Casey's ears.

"Uh...haha...Cowabunga, dude! I'm here for little Maxie's birthday party. Kinda late for a party, but I'm not one ta judge, so if you could just point me to the party-" He was cut off as April came charging around the corner, katana drawn. Ninja reflexes in check, Karai whipped out her own sword and they clashed. The remainder of the group rushed around the side and ran right passed the battling women. Attracted by the commotion, Foot Ninja began to pour out of the garden onto the main driveway. There were hundreds of them.

"Uh...this could take some time," Mikey said, drawing his nunchucks.

"Ahh, I needed a good workout," Raph commented, twirling his sais.

"Well, that will have to wait for another day," Don crushed his excitement. "You're too injured to fight effectively. You need to find a way into the mansion itself."

The hothead's face fell and his arms followed suit. "What?"

"You heard me. Now get going!" The ninja were reaching their position. With a heavy sigh, Raph muttered, "I always miss the good stuff," before sliding through the mass of Foot. Killing whatever ninja he could along the way, he finally reached the door. It was open. _What idiot leaves the door open when ya don't want anyone in? _Shrugging it off, he turned to tell his companions to come on. He was met with ten masked faces. "How fuckin' fantastic," he muttered before drawing his sais. "Alright, boys," Raph said louder so they could hear him. "Let's make this quick. I got a brother ta save and a whole lot of explainin' and apologizein' ta do." Sais met two pairs of swords as he blocked two blows at once while kicking one of his offenders away. Pain shot up his leg from the hard impact. Fighting would certainly be a lot harder since he was already wounded. A sweeping foot knocked the hothead off his feet and onto his shell. His weapons crossed, making an 'X' as he strained to keep the katana from piercing his throat. A green leg suddenly knocked the ninja off of Raph and into a nearby wall. The bo staff, twirling in a seemingly crazy and mindless manner, expertly knocked the remaining opponents to the ground, holding their heads. "Uh, thanks, bro," The maskless turtle said as Don helped him up.

"What part of 'you're too injured to fight effectively' did you not comprehend?" He penetrated his brother with his scolding doctor glare.

"Hey now, _they _jumped _me_."

Rolling his eyes, he sighed. "Of course they did." Before either could say another word, the rest of their group showed up.

"They're charging right up the driveway," Mikey said, looking around frantically. "What do we do to shut this door? Where's the handle?" Casey casually knocked a pot off it's perch. Large metal doors came sliding down over the opening, blocking the Foot out.

"How'd ya know ta do that?" Raph asked his friend. The muscle man and his girlfriend shared a knowing glance.

"Experience."

Gazing up at the pinkish tornado of lightning, Donatello said, "That would be the swirling vortex to another dimension, I presume."

"How'd ya guess that, Don?" Raph asked sarcastically as Mikey approached the cages. Hopping up, he looked into the window. "Leo?" His only response was a furious roar as the furry face of the creature they fought came into his few. He jumped back quickly with a shriek. "Yeah, he's not in that one." Raphael approached the next cylinder and peeked inside. "Leo? He's in here!" He exclaimed. The purple clad turtle rushed and attached a triangular device onto the metal. Pushing the four buttons in the correct order, he backed away a moment before an explosion was heard. The door successfully blown off, Raph dashed inside. Leo was sitting on the floor propped up by a wall, his chin resting on his plastron.

Raph's breath caught in his throat; his lover laid so still, he didn't seem alive.

He hurriedly bent down next to his brother, his fingers moving his own mask aside and ghosting over the deep cut his sai had made. The stone generals hadn't even bothering to dress it. _Fuckin' bastards. _If the cut was a little deeper Leo could have bleed to death before they could rescue him. Raph shuddered at the gruesome thought; luckily the injury had clotted over.

Raph gently pressed two fingers against Leo's neck, his other hand rested lightly on his brothers chest. For a moment the world stood still for Raph as he desperately hoped to feel the thud of his older brother's heart. Then he felt the slow but steady beat under his finger tips. _He's alive. _Raph's soul cried out in joy as he let out a sigh of relief. Leo groaned and began to stir, trying to move slightly. Raph could feel the steady rise and fall of Leo chest under his other hand as his brother slowly came around.

He grasped one of Leo's biceps and gently pulled his brothers arm across his shoulders as he helped Leo to his feet, supporting his brothers weight as he carefully guided them out of Leo's cage. Don was instantly there, removing the mask stained with blood and pulling supplies out of the bag he had brought with him. He cleaned and redressed the wound while Raph held his lover's hand, trying to rouse him into full awareness.

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><p><em>"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Leo! Stay with me, bro! You're going to be okay. I'll get you to Don and he'll fix you up and you're going to be okay. Leo...I'm so sorry. This is all my damn fault. I was an idiot and an ass and now look what I've done! Why? Why am I so stupid? Leo, I-I love you. I always have, always will. I was just hurt when you left and, well, you know me. But...God, why did I do this? If I had just let you back. If I had just allowed us to be...happy, we wouldn't be in this mess, but here we fuckin' are. Leo, you're going to be okay. I promise."<em>

The sweet voice of his lover bounced around in Leonardo's head.

_Leo, I love you._

Those words were incredible, but hearing them from his mouth made them all the more beautiful. It was like honey flowing slowly and smoothly. Like the sweet aroma of a patch of lilacs. Like the song of the nightingale; you just have to stop and listen. Like the touch of a lover. Leo could almost feel his lover's breath tickling his face ever so softly. He'd missed the sound of those words.

_You're going to be okay._

What was wrong with him? He was in a peaceful place; no dangers lurched nearby. In fact, he hadn't felt this safe since before he left home for Central America. Even then he hadn't felt truly safe. There had always been some threat hiding in the shadows: Shredder, the Foot, Karai, thugs, Dr. Stockman. The list goes on. But here, he was at ease. He didn't feel the need to be alert at all moments in fear of his enemies. He had never felt such security.

Leonardo felt a movement in his mind. A struggle, an entrapment. It felt like he was waking, but got stuck halfway. Memories returned to him and wounds were felt again, backing up his thought and now theory of being stuck halfway. He fought his drowsiness and the urge to slip into the appealing darkness of his mind; to be forever asleep. It was with great difficulty that he opened his eyes and for a time, he felt like giving up, but as soon as he could see, he was glad he had fought on.

The first thing he saw was his lover. His flowing honey, his patch of lilacs, his nightingale.

He reached up and brushed his hand against his dark green cheek. "Hey, Raph."

"Leo!" Raphael's face brightened considerably when he saw those shining, brown orbs of his. "You're okay. You're going to be safe; I'll make sure of it."

The assurance was welcomed as he felt extremely vulnerable at the moment. His hands brushed a cut on the hothead's arm. "I...I did this."

Raph glanced down at the wound. "Yeah," he admitted slowly. "But I did that." He pointed at Leonardo's neck, shame written all over his face.

"I'm alive, aren't I?" The eldest tried to reassure him.

"And so am I. So don't worry about me."

"There," Don spoke from dressing a wound on Leo's leg. "All of your wounds are treated." All he received was a curt nod. "I suggest taking a nap while we figure out how to stop this vortex; you need to regain your strength."

"But won't I slip away?"

"You came back this time, why not again?"

Leonardo granted this a reasonable answer and snuggled closer into Raph's hold on him. As he began to sink into sleep, a whispered sentence drifted into his ears, making him smile in his sleep.

"Love ya, bro."

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><p><strong>AN: **Awwws! How cute XD So, seeing that I told you all my state above, I'm curious: What state do you live in? I think it'd be cool to see the variety of states in which my readers live. You obviously don't have to if you feel uncomfortable about it; that's perfectly fine and I completely understand that.

Reviews would be wonderful! :DD


	16. Victory For the Day

**A/N: **A week! I can't believe I'm a week late! I'm so sorry guys; I'm ashamed that I've done this to you. Please, forgive me! At least I'm here now; late but here.

We're moving along in this story. Just one more chapter and it will be done! Kinda sad to think about...

Chapter 15: quince

**Disclaimer: **I do not own TMNT or Taylor Swift.

**Warning: **This product may contain Turtlecest. If you are a homophobe, please refrain from reading as I take no blame for the outcome.

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><p>"So," Donatello lifted his gaze from his slumbering brother and raked them across the group surrounding him. "How are we stopping this thing?"<p>

"Well-" April was cut off as a large body slammed into the floor beside them. Michelangelo let out a shriek of surprise.

"What the hell?" Raphael exclaimed from his spot on the floor, Leonardo enclosed in his arms.

"Hey, it's that Winters guy," Casey observed, creeping towards the still body. A gasp of air told them he was still alive and he stood up as if to prove the point.

"Miss O'Neil! Mr. Jones! What are you doing here? Why am I seeing giant turtles and a giant rat?"

"We know what you're up to, Winters," April skipped right to the point, not bothering to answer any of his questions. "We know about the portal and we think it's time you sent all these monsters home."

"I couldn't agree with you more," he replied solemnly as the Foot finally made it through the door and came rushing in. "It is time to put an end to the curse I have brought upon myself and this world. I must return the thirteen beasts or the curse will continue. And that is a torment I can no longer bare."

"Then you should be put out of your misery," the grumbling voice of one of the stone generals drifted around the corner as they appeared. "It is time to rain destruction on the earth."

"Nothing will stand in our way," the jaguar man said.

"My brothers-" Winters began but was cut off by the leader of the four.

"We are no brothers to you! With an army at our command, we will finish what we began all those years ago. Join us, Foot Clan! Join us or be destroyed."

"The Foot Ninja are not without honor; we work for Winters, not you," Karai responded evenly. With quick hand motions, she sent her ninja, except for her right hand man, running in the opposite direction.

"Okay," April's asked rubbing her eyes with one hand and pinching the bridge of her nose. "What does that mean?"

"It means we will help you. My ninja will find the thirteenth monster and you will bring it back here. Hurry, we don't have much time."

"I'll stay here," the redhead told her boyfriend. "You go get the monster."

"What?" Casey exclaimed. "No way am I leaving you to get slaughtered by these stone freaks!"

"I'll be fine; I've been learning from Master Splinter and I really think I've gotten somewhere."

"My general will go with you," Karai spoke to the muscle man. "Now, go!" Reluctantly, Casey rushed after the only remaining Foot ninja.

Not concerned with the other event, the generals began to advance on Winters, but April, Karai, Michelangelo and Donatello hurried to block their path.

"Ah-ah-ah, stone dudes," Mikey taunted. "You're not getting him that easily."

With a growl, General Aguila threw himself at the nearest person who happened to be Karai. She sidestepped and knocked him forward with a kick in the butt. The lady general's weapons met April's as they collided in battle, each sizing up the other. Donny's sturdy bo staff blocked the swing of the giant hammer while Mikey circled the only remaining statue.

Raph had never felt as useless as he did at the moment, watching them fight. He had always been the one to jump into battle, to take on the largest enemy. Now all he could do was sit on the floor. Not that he wasn't comfortable. With Leo nestled safely in his arms, he couldn't think of a place he'd rather be. He looked down at his slumbering lover, hypnotized by how peaceful he looked compared to his usual calculating gaze with worry laced in his creases. The hothead loved watching his leader sleep; it showed a side of him you rarely see.

The impact of a body a few feet from him ripped Raph out of his thoughts. Leo stirred but did not wake as his lover looked over at Mikey who, after a quick shake of the head, stood to face his opponent. The statue let out a snarl and ran towards him like the cat in which he was dressed. Michelangelo jumped over him to avoid injury and attacked his back with a vicious series of strikes with his nunchucks. Raph heard the furious growl the youngest turtle received as the hothead redirected his gaze around his other battling brothers. They fell on Karai as her katanas sliced precisely through the air, but clanked uselessly on Aguila's stone body. Her brows furrowed in frustration as she leaped out of the way of the statue's rushing body. He shared her confusion of how they were going to defeat these foes; they were unstoppable. You can't destroy someone who is not able to die.

Yeah, immortality is kind of a hassle.

Eyes roaming once again, they settled on April as she fought. Her body delicately dodged each and every blow her opponent delivered. He cringed as she was knocked back by a kick to the gut, but she soon got up, fire still burning in her green eyes. His eyes darted down to his slumbering lover as Leonardo unconsciously traveled his hand up Raphael's leg. A blush crept onto his face as he gently pushed his hand away. There was no time for that now. Later, however...

Raph shook his head to clear it. He couldn't think of that now; lives were at stake! The world was at stake! The hothead refrained the straining thoughts as he continued to watch the battle progress in front of him. Each time a strike was given, he winced and wished he could do something. To get up and run to their rescue. He felt more and more useless with each minute, with each blow.

Bat-like creatures began to fly out of the portal, swooping at anyone in the room. Maybe he could help...?

"Do not even think about it, my son," Splinter said as if he read his mind. He and Winters stood not far off from Raph and Leo. "You stay here while we fend them off."

With a sigh, Raphael watched his sensei kick one after another of the creatures back into the portal. After an impressive spinning jump and kick that knocked five of them home, the rat chuckled. "I still got it!" The hothead allowed a small smile. He jumped from shock as the Cowabunga Carol van came bursting into the room, thirteenth monster trailing behind. Karai, Mikey, Donny, and April all jumped out of the way as the dog-like creature slipped on the marble floor, knocking all of the stone generals into the portal except Aguila, who jumped out with the others.

"You have taken away my allies," he growled menacingly. "But you have not defeated me! I will still live on with-" before he could finish, Karai kicked him into the swirl of purple. Splinter turned a raised eyebrow to her to which she shrugged. "I was getting tired of his speeches."

Before anyone could respond, Winters had engulfed them all in his large arms. "Thank you, for all you've done."

"It was no problem, really," April replied as he released them. "All in a day's work for us."

The thousand year old man got down on one knee, head bowed. He took a deep breathe as his body began to dissolve to a golden dust. The mutants and people watched in awe as his remains were picked up by the breeze brought in by the open doors. They stood silent for a few moments before Karai turned and bowed to them. "I am glad to have been able to work alongside you for the time. Though do not count on friendliness forever; we were only joined for today. However, enjoy your victory for the day is yours." With a quick flick of her wrist, a smoke pellet was thrown and they were all engulfed in the gray gas. She and her general disappeared while they coughed. Only Raph saw her go - for he was far enough from the smoke - and only Raph saw the delicate and caring way that she grabbed hold of her ninja's hand while they raced away. He could only smile, but it was soon replaced with a frown. _I'm getting soft! I'm getting all mushy and girly! Next thing I know, I'll be crying to Taylor Swift songs as I watch a chickflick and eat chocolate with April! _But as he looked back down at Leonardo's peaceful face, he didn't really care that much.

Besides...chocolate is good.

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><p><strong>AN: **Again, I apologize. I feel terrible about leaving you like that; what kind of writer am I? How could I do such a thing? *sigh*...please, please, please forgive me?

I'm going away for Thanksgiving to a place where the internet is slow and wi-fi does not exist. So, since there is only one more chapter, I'm going to update either tonight or tomorrow. Think of it as making up for missing a week.

Anywho, I just wanted to stick a little Karai/Foot romance in there. Possible one-shot about them? Anyone want one? 'Cause I will gladly do it.

Reviews?


	17. A Rose

**A/N: **This, my friends, is the last chapter of Returning Home. I've worked hard on this story and I hope you guys enjoyed it! It was a fun ride :) I just wanted to recognize and thank my loyal reviewers :)

Rose Black Dragon: RBD, you've been with me since the beginning; you were my very first review! You've given me some good tips and feedback. You really encouraged me through the whole thing and I'm glad for the support you provided. Hope to see you on my next story (which I am currently working on :DD)

ForgottenForever: It was good to see you again! I'd missed you in the time between Mars and here :) You've always been really supportive of me and my work and I think we've exchanged some good tips and techniques :)

Amonraphoenix: Nixy...I don't even know what to say. You've given me support, ideas, encouragement..the whole dang package! I've anticipated every single one of your reviews, knowing that a good conversation will follow it. I'm glad I have your friendship :) Have fun in whatever desert state you wish to live in (perhaps you'll come live in West Virginia? It's not a desert, but the people here aren't too bad ;D)

Who Am I. Well. I'm just Me.: I think we got off on the wrong foot, but we were both a little cranky, weren't we? Ah, who cares? We cool now :) I'm glad I can make you fly on clouds! You've always pushed me forward, demanding more from each chapter and it's you I think of every time I write a mushy, love scene since you always demanded more love. That is why I am dedicating this chapter to you. It's got plenty of love so I hope you like it :)

It is with a sad heart that I write it one last time: Chapter 16: dieciseis

Dedicated to: Who Am I. Well. I'm just Me.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own TMNT, but I do own my remorse as I finish off this story.

**Warning: **This fanfic contains Turtlecest. If you haven't figured it out by the 16th chapter, then you are obviously not bothered by it, so please...continue. You are obviously dying to see how it ends.

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><p>A cool night breeze drifted through the silent city. The moon was bright and full as it looked over the city like a mother, protecting it from nightly terrors. Two mutants stood atop a building silently, neither saying a word. As soon as Leonardo had awoken, Raphael had demanded he come topside. The others were all treating their wounds after their battle, but for the time being, the hothead was unconcerned with them. He needed to talk to his leader in private.<p>

Raph paced nervously, trying to find the words to say what he wanted and needed to say. Leo stood patiently by, waiting and watching his brother walk back and forth. Finally, the red clad turtle stopped moving. He furrowed his eye ridges as he bit his lip frustratingly. He paused before turning to face his eldest brother. Passing his tongue over his lips, he began, "Okay; here we go. Leo, I've been an idiot by rejecting you. I was hurt by your..." he paused as he tried to find the word he wanted. "...departure and I decided to do away with love, which, as you can see, turned out terribly. It's my fault that the family fell apart, my fault that all this shit happened and Spinter has every right to send _me _away to Central America because-" Leo rolled his eyes before grabbing onto Raph's biceps, shoving him into the brick wall behind him and covering his mouth with his. The hothead was taken by surprise, but his hands soon found his lover's sides. They broke apart, panting, their foreheads pressed together.

"You talk too much," Leo said as he stared into his brother's amber eyes. "I know what happened, you don't need to explain it to me again. I know and I don't care. I'm back, the family's fixed, everything's okay. So stop apologizing." The eldest turtle paused before continuing, "Now I guess we better go break our news to them, huh?"

"Actually," Raph said rather sheepishly. "I..uh...already did. After you got kidnapped."

The blue clad turtle's eyes widened. "Well...nobody's dead of a heart attack so I take it everything went okay?" He received a nod from the hothead. "Then there's no need to leave yet." Leo's mouth returned to his and Raph accepted it greedily. He'd missed this. The feel of his brother as close as he could possibly be was refreshing, exasperating. He'd missed the feel of Leo's lips against his own; of his hands exploring his body, leaving a trail of heat in his path. He felt like he was flying through the clouds, swimming through them like water. As Leo's tongue danced with his to a beat only they knew, Raph realized what he had been so close to losing. He grasped his brother a little tighter, determined not to let him go ever again. He was his and his only; nothing was separating them. Because love, true love, never diminishes. It only blossoms like a rose. Sure, there are a few thorns when it falters, but it's strong. And when you get past the thorns, you see love for what it really is: a rose. It isn't some demon that tries to bring you down when you're at your highest. It's an unchangeable, unshakable, unstoppable flower.

And this flower was going to blossom till the end.

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><p><strong>AN: **And so it ends. I've enjoyed writing this story and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. As I've stated many times, I'm really distressed to see it go, but alas, all great things must come to an end. I won't be gone for long, though. I've got a few more chapter stories up my sleeve and who knows what one-shots I'll come up with next.

Reviews, please.

Till next time,

MarMar


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